Poké Rangers Elem
by Sentrovasi
Summary: A YF2authorized spinoff! I fear for my sanity. This story continues the adventures of Pokémon Go!, three years after the defeat of the Tentor Fog. A new evil has risen from its ashes, and they don't want to be Forgotten... summary's better than the story!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Pokémon. Neither do I own the concept, by YF2. I _do_ own the Elem region, and Ash and Erynn, though.**

**I'm sorry for my (possibly permanent) hiatus off Pokémon Go!, the truth is, I'm not sure there's a better wa to go about it: I don't want to have to go through four battles at every gym.**

**While my mind waits for inspiration to get me psyched enough to begin again, I've decided to create this YF2-approved spin-off. It's set three years after** **Pokémon Go!: this time, though, the Evil has grown: for those interested to know how my first fic turned out, details of what happened at the end will be revealed as you read on...**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it... or actually, I do hope you enjoy it more. So... on with the story!**

**Prologue**

_Three years._

It'd been three years since everything had happened. He remembered flashes of it, as though from a badly-edited movie: black-and-white images of a past too convoluted to remember.

He watched the peace of Silvergold City from the cliff on which he stood upon; the Ditto and Gardevoir which stood beside him stared silently, surveying the scene below.

Team Epsilon and the remainder of the Tentor Fog had managed to destroy much of the town despite their efforts to stop it. As a Pokémon League champion, a private residence had already been laid out for him, a little apart from the scene of destruction he was watching right now.

_The Organization must've been in a real dilemma_, he reminisced with a tinge of amusement, _their Pokémon League Champion acting as a vigilante…_

Well; it was over now: that much he was happy for. His parents were still back in Palladium: they'd declined to come live in Silvergold… they still kept e-mail correspondence, though; he found it a little sad, but at the same time, extremely gratifying, to realize that his parents had thought him responsible enough to live on his own. The Organization might have tried to cover most of it up, but his parents knew enough.

He wondered where his friends from the past were now: the last he'd heard of Dave after the celebrations, he'd headed off to catch even more Pokémon: the data storage capabilities of the PCs about Elem were being put to a rigorous test, he mused.

RJ had been his competitor in the semi-finals: following the intense, and remarkably close match, he'd left with a promise to train his Pokémon up for another battle the next time. He looked over at Gardevoir absentmindedly as he recalled how she'd fought for him then.

Michelle… she'd left with some message about 'possible death by unexpected natural disaster'… he took it to mean she'd probably gone off on an adventure of her own: back to the way life had been before she'd joined their party.

And Erynn… he recalled her final battle against him—the fight that had won him the title of Pokémon Master. She had congratulated him, and then what? Returned to Rubidium to take over the position of Gym Leader there; he was happy for that. Thanks to her, Rubidium had been promoted to the eighth-toughest Gym in the Elem region: but that also meant most new trainers from Palladium skipped that particular Gym. She wasn't getting as many trainers as she used to, that was for sure.

Sighing, he thought of his own life: boring. Most of it was spent doing the various endorsement deals the Organization had put him up to. It was the branding: make the League more popular, get more teenagers to sign up as trainers and generally boost the economy. They'd even managed to turn the calamity of the Tentor Fog to their advantage, branding him as a hero: a title he hated. He'd been there at the time; it was all he could do. It wasn't for the Organization; it was for himself, and his friends.

He remembered Reno: a puppet of the Tentor Fog. Was he the Organization's puppet, then? There was little else he did in the way of…

_You don't want to stay like this._

He started. There was another voice in his head: one he didn't appreciate. Gardevoir had come into his thoughts before, but not without knocking, figuratively speaking. This voice had come in without any hint of apology, speaking to him as though continuing a conversation left off from long ago.

_You want to make a difference, don't you?_

He paused. If it was rude, at least it spoke the truth. He had nothing left to do in this town; his only thoughts were of, perhaps, moving back in with his parents: he could do a lot for Palladium now, especially with the money he was earning. But that wasn't it…

_If I told you that the Evil is returning to this region, would you want to do something to change it?_

The Evil. He started again. It was how Gardevoir had termed the Tentor Fog; how the Pokémon of the world had, in general. He wanted to ask the voice if the Evil was that one and the same, but he had no idea how to.

_If I gave you a choice, would you go through that same ordeal again?_

He nodded slowly, trepidation rising in his heart as he wondered about what the voice meant. Ditto's squeal and Gardevoir's quiet gasp were the last things he heard as a sudden rush of wind swept him off his feet and plunged him into darkness.

_I do hope I've chosen correctly… Ash._


	2. An Old Friend Returns

**Disclaimer: Two chapters in a few minutes! Wonder how I'm doing it? Obviously, it was all prewritten. I own nothing you read here except my characters, and the snazzy SP Morphers.**

**Not much else I can say at this point, though the fun part's coming up.**

**Chapter 1 - An Old Friend Returns**

His first waking sensation was that of cold; a freezing silence which echoed nothingness in his ears: silence so painful it almost hurt. His gloved hands scrabbled against the wet stone floor, naked fingers finding purchase against the rough rock. Slowly, he got to his feet: in the soft, luminescent blue light which bathed the chamber, he could just make out the shapes of his two Pokémon; Ditto was none the worse for wear, but Gardevoir took a little longer to get to her feet.

Reaching to his belt, he cursed for the lack of Pokéballs—he hadn't thought of bringing his team along with him: most were still in his PC box. Tentatively, he took a few steps around the chamber, trying to figure out just where he was.

It was a large, spacious chamber, albeit devoid of any form of life whatsoever: it was easily five stories tall and wide enough to fit perhaps three of his old bedroom. The faintest movement left echoes which seemed never to end. Not to mention Ditto's burbling speech, amplified by the brilliant acoustics.

The light didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular; that was something surprising: it seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Along the walls, at regular intervals, large shelves seemed to have been built into them: a sort of gallery. As far as he could see, though, there was no apparent way of reaching them.

His throat was dry, but even so, he knew he had to say something.

"Hello…?" his voice was tentative; he listened for a moment as the echoes subsided, straining to hear the voice which had spoken to him before. His breath condensed in clouds of fine mist as he spoke: as if the cold wasn't apparent enough.

No reply. He was about to try again when Gardevoir spoke to him. 'Spoke', meaning telepathically communicated: but that was how it'd always been.

"_Ash… I can sense the emotions of four more beings in this room…"_

The teenager wasn't at all perturbed by Gardevoir's method of address: she'd learnt to act as an individual, than as part of his team: that much he was happy for.

"Hello…!" Gardevoir's words prompted him to try again. The echoes bounced about the room for a moment, settling.

"I know you're there… somewhere!" he shouted, hardly daring to move from his position: the chamber was semi-illuminated, but shadows there still were; darker than he dared tempt. He opened his mouth to call a third time, but he never had the chance.

_Stop. I'm getting a headache._

That was unexpected. He looked about the chamber, looking for the source of the voice that had whisked him here.

"Who are—" he began, but then he recalled something he'd been testing with Gardevoir. Projecting a thought to the Psychic consciousness about him: if the voice could send, then it possibly would be able to receive.

"_Who… where are you?"_

_I am all about you. Funny, isn't it? I am the wind; the sound of echoing emptiness: I am the world around you, and I am nothing._

Ditto waddled a little closer to him: it was obvious the Psychic influence wasn't directed at only him. Gardevoir shivered a moment before replying.

"_The consciousness is strong: weak in body but strong in spirit. There is no… I cannot detect any malicious intent or ill-feeling it has toward you."_

Ash nodded, unable to understand just what the voice might want with him.

"_You said that I might help defend Elem from an Evil… is that Evil the Tentor Fog?"_

The voice seemed to chuckle: it was a sound of slight amusement, but one which passed momentarily.

_The Tentor Fog…? Yes and no. But—_ it silenced Ash's protest before it began_—I can show you, if you'd like._

Ash nodded, then, just in case the voice couldn't see him, he grunted in affirmation.

_Let me ask you, then, to complete the oath. If Elem were ever to be in need of your help: would you put your life on the line to save it?_

A more prudent trainer would have considered the options: stuck in a cave as he was, though, he saw no answer out but the truth.

"Yes."

And then a door opened.

The door was a panel set into one of the rock walls; it was concealed so cleverly that he had barely noticed it. A rush of warm air came in to displace the cold, the room beyond the door evidently warmer. He'd taken a step toward it when a figure appeared in its frame. Her steps were tentative and her voice sounded a little subdued, but that didn't register to him; he was far too surprised at a voice he'd never thought he'd hear again.

"Who's there…?" she spoke into the chamber, even as she stepped through it.

Her hair was past her shoulder; now it trailed midway down her back. She was less of a girl than he'd ever remembered her: three years had done a lot to change her, but he still had little trouble in recognizing her.

"Erynn…? Is that you?"

He hadn't even finished his question before she had run up to him, the look of surprise on her face evident despite the shades she wore over her eyes. She looked toward Gardevoir, who nodded at her, and then back at him.

"It really _is_ you…" her voice sounded choked; he wondered if he should've thumped her on the back a few times, then thought better of it.

"So… I take it you're not the voice I've been hearing in my head."

Erynn would've facefaulted, if she'd been a Japanese character, that is. As it was, she recovered the best as she could.

"No; as a matter of fact I'm not. The voice… it brought me here too. And then…"

_Not now; bring him into the room._

It was obvious that the voice was speaking to the two of them. Erynn made as though to speak again, then shrugged, turning and motioning for Ash to follow. She stopped an instant later, though, to remove Ditto from her leg.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," Ash noted sheepishly. As he followed behind her toward the door, he could think of too many questions he wanted to ask her.

"Have you heard from any of the others? Are they here too?"

Erynn stopped and turned to him for a moment.

"I've been talking to Michelle periodically: apparently she's finally caught the Skarmory she wanted. Haven't heard from her for a while, though… Dave's been pretty busy too: he visited my sister's—my—Gym a few months ago… can you imagine…?" she trailed off, remembering she had a job to do.

"Later," she whispered to him, before motioning toward the door she'd emerged from. He followed tentatively: she seemed to know more about the place than he did, but he wasn't taking any chances. Gardevoir and Ditto followed close behind.

The room was another circular affair: the hard rock walls were bathed with the same luminescent blue light that had lit the first chamber: this room was a lot more hospitable, though: at least it was warm.

It was nowhere as tall as the first chamber, but it was a lot larger: it could have fit two of his old house. Despite its cave-like appearance, though, there was enough machinery within it to fit in with the best from Immaterion Corporations.

_And I should know; I've been there._

Flat-screen monitors hung along a section of the wall: three of them, he saw, showed live video feed of the chamber he'd come from and this room itself from different angles. Another two displayed line upon line of symbols he couldn't identify, and the last was blank.

Taking up a large amount of space in the center of the room was a large, shiny set-up: another three monitors were present here: one he recognized as showing a map of Elem: the other two were off as well. These monitors hung from the top of a wide steel column, into which a single panel was built in; a chair was fixed into the rock floor a distance from the column, and that was all.

Along the other side of the wall, a long row of shelves were set against the wall: on the top shelf were placed six orbs, which looked suspiciously like Pokéballs. In fact, they probably were. The shelf directly below them had six Pokégears: it seemed to him a little like a PokéMart.

"What… is this place?" the words came out without him even having to think about them. It was something of a reflex action.

"This…" Erynn said, gesturing to the large chamber they were now in, "this is the headquarters for the Pokémon Rangers of Elem."

Ash stood there numbly for a second: Ditto didn't seem to comprehend anything either, while Gardevoir tilted her head in question.

"Did I hear you right…? You mean…"

Erynn sighed, slapping her forehead. She took her shades off, stuffing them in her breast pocket.

"You can't have been entirely oblivious to the Pokérangers in the other regions, can you? I mean, a few years ago there were already Rangers in Kanto, Johto, and even Orre…"

Ash nodded slowly: he'd heard of them, even watched them in action on the television during one of those news flashes: as far as he'd known, though, those rangers were intensely localized; to say the least. He'd no idea how so many dangers could be present on the earth at any one time, but it appeared like each region would have their own set of rangers… which meant…

"When had they decided to branch out?"

After Erynn had recovered sufficiently to speak again, the voice continued with the introduction.

_Well. Erynn… if you'd please…?_

The girl looked between Ash and the row of shelves, her brow knitted in questioning.

_Yes… I think a demonstration would be in order._

Erynn turned to the shelf, removing one of the Pokéballs set there. Then, she reached to the shelf below it, removing a Pokégear and strapping it to her wrist. Ash gaped as he recognized the mechanism on the front.

"Isn't that the same make as the SP Ball…?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Erynn had passed the Pokéball over her wristgear twice in quick succession.

"Call of the Chosen – Elem Ranger!"

With a flourish, she shouted the command: almost immediately a suit of grey formed over her, its formlessness taking shape around her body. It was plain; drab, to say the least.

"That's… it? Funny; I've never heard of a grey Ranger…" Ash was honestly surprised at the transformation. As he said these words, though, the outfit dissipated around Erynn, leaving her drained, as she was before.

"That was… tiring," she remarked.

_And that's basically it._

Suspicion wasn't part of his nature, but it crept in stealthily anyway. "Why do these balls look like those SP Balls the Tentor Fog had years ago? Who are you, anyway?"

_I can't tell you more than this: these are indeed the balls used by the Forgotten's minions. But more than that; they are your one weapon against him._

**A/N: No. Not _those_ balls, you perv.**

"You mean; those grey suits? But Erynn can barely keep the power up for a minute…!" he looked at the girl on the ground, her exhaustion obvious.

_You're pretty artless, aren't you…? Your morphers are Pokéballs for a reason._

_Erynn. If you were to choose one of your Pokémon to fight alongside, which one would it be?_

The voice sounded authoritative now; at the question, Erynn's eyes widened in comprehension.

"Arcon, my Arcanine," she said softly.

_Then I need you to catch him with the ball you hold in your hands._

Erynn looked between the ball and her most loyal Pokémon. If it didn't turn out right…

"You're sure about this…?" Ash asked, a trifle worried.

_Trust me._

Calling the Arcanine to her side, Erynn closed her eyes, pressing the ball against Arcon's flank. In a flash of red immaterial, the Pokémon disappeared within the ball.

"What… now?"

Even as she spoke, the ball in her hands began to shudder violently. In a brilliant flash of colour, the ball turned bright red and orange, marked with flames around its centre.

_The words will come to you. Speak them…_

As the voice finished speaking, she got to her feet, the strange ball in her hands. Almost instinctively she called the words.

"Call of the Fire! Red Elem Ranger!"

Passing the ball over the Pokégear twice, she held the ball out in front of her, and released the catch. Instead of Arcanine materializing, though, the red energy spread over her body, consuming her as she transformed.

Ash watched in wonder as her body glowed with crimson flames: in a second the flames had materialized into a suit of fiery red, orange and white. The gloves she wore were white, with flame-designs along it. Her helmet was shaped like that of an Growlithe's open maw.

"Claws of Loyalty!"

Even as the transformation neared completion, her right arm glowed, and her Pokégear transformed into a set of claws, gleaming in the light.

"Whoa… now _that's_ impressive." Ash gaped as Erynn tested her gear out. Through the visor she had on, she inspected her outfit almost disappointedly.

"Black and Purple I would've liked better…"

_Then you should've chosen a Gastly to be your partner Pokémon._

Ash sighed. The voice was gaining an attitude.

"Fine. I'm convinced. A few things I want to ask beforehand, though…"

_Pretentious; but shoot away._

"Right. First… _must_ I do that strange pose she did whenever I transform?"

Erynn frowned within the helmet. "What pose?"

_Oh; that's a default mechanism: if you don't want to, I can reprogram the system. It's alright. But seriously… it's there to look cool._

Ash put a hand to his forehead wearily. "Looks dumb to me… anyways, second question: Why do those rangers I see on the news always bob their heads when they speak?"

At this, Erynn nodded; whether it was because she said something, or because she wanted to know, no one was quite sure.

_Well; actually… I'm not too sure about that, either. I'm guessing it's the adrenalin boosters some of the other suits are fitted with. Either that or maybe they're high on something… right, enough already!_

Ash shrugged. He only had those to ask, anyway.

"So I can just take any ball I want…? And any gear?"

The voice said something, but Erynn spoke louder.

"Any one you want… it'll adapt to your touch after a while. The Gear, on the other hand…"

As Ash moved to take one of the Pokégears he jumped back with a yelp: it'd tried to electrocute him.

_Yes. That. The gear is trainer-specific: if it senses the power of the Ranger it was built for within you, it'll choose you automatically._

Ash groaned. "Now you tell me," he grumbled, massaging his sore fingers. Passing his hand over the five remaining Pokégear, he picked up the one which blipped as he passed. Strapping it about his wrist, he turned to his Pokémon.

_The choice is yours._

He looked at the two Pokémon he had with him: his best partners yet. Ditto and Gardevoir were like two separate parts of him, but now he had to choose one.

He looked first at Gardevoir, the graceful Psychic-type who had changed his entire perception on the futility of battling; who was as much a part of his subconscious as he knew.

He looked toward Ditto, who was looking innocently about the room. Ditto, who had taught him about freedom, and innocence: who had been his friend and partner for the longest part of the journey. Ditto, who was—

_Pink._

His mind jarred. He was _not_ going to be a Pink Ranger. Making up his mind, he turned to Gardevoir.

"Ditto, I'm sorry, but I'll go with her," the diminutive Pokémon looked sad a moment. "you never liked Pokéballs anyway, did you?" and it cheered up immediately.

Gardevoir closed her eyes as he pressed the ball against her forehead: in a flash of red, she was gone.

_Now the words will come to you… you… you…_

Even as he held the ball in his hands, it changed colours, almost in slow-motion. It was almost entirely white, except for splashes of soft lavender, and green highlights along its sides. His mind suddenly felt freer than it ever had before: he realized that at that moment, he was sharing a consciousness with Gardevoir. Whether the words came from her or himself, he wasn't quite certain. All he knew was…

_Call of the Psychic…_

"Call of the Psychic…"

_White Elem Ranger._

"White Elem Ranger!"

Passing the ball over his wristgear twice, he released the power within. Immediately his perception seemed to increase a hundredfold; the powers of Gardevoir built up within himself: he could see Erynn; could almost distinguish the rush of emotions he felt from her: saw Ditto's innocence through his mind…

And there; at the edge of the room; it was like a heat haze, so blurry and indistinct it mightn't have been real. It was the source of the voice.

It flitted from side to side, as though unable to control its movement at all. He was vaguely aware of a large curl of green folding around his body: he felt the fabric of his outfit form upon his body; it was light, and yet felt strangely strong. As the green leaf-thing (Gardevoir's head-thing, he supposed: he'd never asked what it was) withdrew, the helmet formed around his head; a white affair with streaks of green and a horn. A visor spread over his vision, which somehow seemed to enhance rather than obstruct it.

And yet it wasn't done.

_Shield of Empathy_

"Shield of Empathy!"

The same green leaf-thing that had enveloped him before now expanded from his Pokégear: it was a green shield, blinding in its purity. Swinging it about him twice, he realized that the transformation was complete.

Immediately he fell over.

"How in Jirachi's name do you expect me to balance in a pose like that?!" he complained.

_I told you I'd reprogram it; stop rushing me._

He turned to Erynn, still in her own Red Growlithe Ranger outfit. For some reason, there was a vague haze of colours about her: an instinct within him knew they represented emotions, but…

_What do they mean…?_

Shaking his head clear of the thought, he turned toward the Voice: now that it was a tangible entity…

"Hey; how do you de-morph or whatever you call it?"

_Tired of it so soon?_

"Not really," he admitted, "but it's enough for one day, I'd say."

_Fine. It's simple; just recall your Pokémon as you normally would._

Turning to his Shield, he realized that the Pokéball was embedded in its center. Removing it from its slot, he opened the Pokéball once more. Immediately he was himself again. The sudden loss of power made him fall to the ground, wincing. A second later, Erynn was smiling over him, her de-morphed self holding out a hand to him.

"You've got to be careful about that…"

He took the proffered hand, getting to his feet.

"Well; that was interesting."

He looked about the chamber; the auras were gone now. Turning to the shelves, he remembered the other four Pokéballs and Pokégear. Two questions came to him immediately.

"Why did you choose these items as our morphers? From what I've seen from the other Rangers, they've got much snazzier ways to transform."

_There's a complication in this region, if you haven't realized yet. Crimefighters…_

"Vigilantes. The Organization… thus the subversion," he nodded, satisfied, before proceeding to his next question, "I'm not going to bother asking who you are, since you probably won't be able to show yourself… but I'm curious: who are the other Pokéballs for?"

The voice seemed to grunt in acknowledgement before replying.

_Erynn has asked the same question of me… I told her to wait for her partner—you—to arrive first._

_As the Rangers of Elem, I task upon you your first mission._

"So soon…?" this from Erynn, "we've barely learnt to control our abilities."

_Then this will be a perfect means of training. You two were the easiest to contact of the destined trainers: these others you'll have to find for yourself._

"How will we know if we find them…?" Erynn interjected. "We don't have your perception…" she trailed off; a palpable energy in the air seemed to grow, the Voice silencing them both.

_Ash has the psychic energy to detect pure emotion: he'll be able to tell when it comes… and I'll be watching._

"Fine…" Ash sighed. There was no way around it, anyway. It wasn't like he could step back and pretend this didn't exist.

"Three conditions, though."

The Voice seemed to be curious: its next words were lilting; questioning.

_And they would be…?_

"One; you tell us more about this Evil when we return. If it's anything serious, we deserve to know what we're being dragged into."

"Two," Erynn spoke for him, "you tell us who you are… we both have a right to know."

Ash looked surprised; Erynn winked at him before putting her shades back on.

"And… third…

"You reprogram our morphers so we don't do the dumb pose. It's annoying."

**A/N: Right. So... the fun part.**

**Character and Monster submissions! Yep. The trademark of every other Poké Ranger fic. Here's the form.**

**Name:  
Age:** (FYI, the characters I have are 19 and 18 years old respectively. Think 2009.)  
**Gender:** (Male or female)  
**Colour/Pokémon of Ranger:** (I need Blue, Yellow, Green, Black, and any other Pokéranger colour you can think of. Not need. Five will do. For the Pokemon choice, a Pokemon with one evolutionary stage is preferable: no more, no less. Two is alright, but not none.)  
**Description of person:**  
**Pokémon character has at start of fic:** (That is to say, the Pokemon he/she carries. Most trainers would have at least a few.)  
**Personality of person:**  
**Episode met:** (Not less than Chapter 3, I'm afraid. Also, post the way in which they'd 'meet their destiny', so to speak. If you don't I'll derive as much from the background of the person. Which brings me to the next point.)  
**Background:**  
**Strengths:**  
**Weaknesses:** (At least two)  
**Weapon of Choice:** (Optional field: If your character would rather use a particular weapon, you can list it here: most weapons, short of missile launchers, are welcome here: blasters are going to be an auxiliary weapon, so it'll be a melee weapon I'm looking for: if you don't put one I'll deal 'em as per personality.)

**Also, there're a few things I'd like to note beforehand.**

**First, I won't accept entries that are inconsistent with the plot beforehand: for example, no, Ash doesn't have a sibling. ****I also want to try to stick to proper colours: I've got White, Red, Pink, and possibly Black out. There's room for (up to) three more rangers. I hope that entries are limited to one per person, or something.**

**For the background, I wouldn't mind a proper base in Elem: if you're too lazy to read my other fic, though, it's fine: just give me a short description of the character's family background and such, and I'll fit him/her into a town. Note that there are 17 towns, of which I've detailed only 7.**

**As for monster submissions, the layout is fairly simple.**

**Name:  
Description:**  
**Level of Difficulty:** (Easy, medium or hard will do)

**And now... off to do whatever I do when I'm not writing!**


	3. Confirmation

**Chapter 2 - Confirmation**

The whirlwind about them ceased, and then they were out in the open again: he recognized the area about him almost immediately.

"Figures… we're in Silv," Ash said, waving an arm about the frozen forest about him, "the cavern seemed cold enough, anyway. Though how a structure as big as that chamber might… have…" he turned around and realized that the cave they'd just left had disappeared: in its place were a few frozen trees and the odd rock.

"It's gone," Erynn observed, "figures."

He sighed, looking at the Pokégear strapped about his wrist.

"Still can't say this was just a bad dream, I guess…" Erynn raised an eyebrow.

"What; meeting me again is your idea of a nightmare…?" Despite her tone, the question only seemed to be asked half in jest. She listened to him flounder a moment, before mock-punching him, smiling.

He took a few steps forward, staring at the expanse of forest around him.

"Right. Where to from here?"

Unexpectedly, the Voice responded almost immediately.

_One of the Pokégears is responding to a call north-east of your location: it's the closest one I can find in the vicinity, so it'll probably be your best bet._

Erynn checked her Pokégear, which thankfully was equipped with everything his old set had included, including a Pokédex and, the function she'd been looking for, a map of the region. The GPS function was scrambled, due to the forest interfering with the transmission.

"Assuming we're somewhere in this area over here," she indicated with a finger around the holographic map which had sprung up, "then the first Ranger might be found…" she looked across the map, "anywhere in a two-thousand mile radius."

"Well, that doesn't sound very hard, does it?" she finished, looking about her, "and funnily enough, I don't seem to recognize this patch of forest at all."

Ash looked around, shivering despite the jacket he had on. "Figures, we never actually _entered_ the forest the last time we were here, remember?" looking about himself, he grumbled for a little while about how inconsiderate the voice was. Erynn ignored him.

"Hey; Voice? Mind pointing us in the right direction…?" she looked around, just in case anyone had noticed and thought she was talking to herself—in the middle of a desolate forest. She had to remind herself she was still sane: becoming a Poké Ranger had done wonders for her mind.

_I've told you before… resonance between souls is what bonds you Rangers together… you'll find each other soon enough._

Ash made a face. "Well that was vague."

The voice sighed before speaking again. _If that wasn't obvious enough, pressing the icon Synchronize on your Pokégears should make the difference._

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously shouting into empty air.

"You know; that would've been a lot more helpful if you'd said that before!"

Bringing up the menu interface, Ash located the Synchronize command, hitting it the instant Erynn did. Almost immediately, a vague humming noise was heard, before three wiggly lines began to register across their screen: one of them was red, and the other was white. The red and white lines were strong: both of them were pulsing at intermittent intervals. The third line was grey in colour: hardly visible at all, and its pulses were a lot weaker.

"Hey, Voice, any idea what these are?"

The voice seemed to sigh in resignation. _It should've been obvious, but those are your life signatures. The gear picks up nearby resonant souls and broadcasts their signatures to you. It'll be enough to point you in the direction: unfortunately, once you get close enough, that's it; it won't be able to pinpoint the exact location._

The two new rangers were already walking around in random directions, trying to figure out which direction the grey image pulsed strongest. Ditto wandered about between the two, consistently being brushed away by Erynn.

_Sure… ignore the disembodied voice…_

After a few moments of confusion (in which Ash almost walked off a cliff, and Erynn discovered a river), the two of them finally got the general direction set.

"You know, it would've been _a lot_ easier if you could've teleported us somewhere closer to the area!"

_A little exercise never hurt… and if I could do that, I might as well have brought the resonant soul back to me. And some nachos as well._

Erynn groaned inwardly, motioning to Ash and interrupting him as he tried to speak to empty air.

"Come on; it's not going to be very far… I hope."

The two of them trudged on, neither of them feeling very warm. The Pokégears were definitely _responding_ to the soul as they continued walking, but there didn't seem to be any distinct increase in pulse intensity. The forest around them _seemed_ to be less dense, but that might've just been their imagination.

Fording another cold river (Erynn still shivering from her earlier encounter with one), the two of them walked toward the edge of a ridge, from which a steep path descended: from this vantage point they could just see the horizon over the sea of trees ahead of them. Ditto had gotten tired enough so he'd gone to sleep again: his Pokéball morph was easy to carry around.

"Hey; Voice!" Erynn wondered when he'd realize that talking to the Voice didn't entail shouting, "when you said our destination wasn't far, how far, exactly?"

_Well. Judging from your progress, I'd say it's still quite a ways away._

Erynn sighed herself, stopping for a moment to rest. "How far, exactly?"

_Well. From the PokéNav on your Pokégears, only about three and a half millimeters—_

At that, Ash groaned. "Do you have any idea about the scale of these things?!"

Staring ahead over the trees, Erynn pointed to the faint wisps of smoke which spiraled slowly up into the sky, hardly noticeable against its violet hue. "I'd say a few more miles in that direction should do it."

"_Not that you'll ever get there…!"_

The call came from behind them, a strange sound that seemed halfway between a squawk and… well, something vaguely unpleasant. That might also have been a squawk.

Ash turned first, spotting a strange apparition from among the trees: it looked like a Delibird, apart from the fact that it was black instead of red, and had a plume of white growing from the center of his forehead. Ash mused over how much it looked like a penguin, while Erynn seemed more apprehensive of the fact that it was speaking.

"Did you… just speak to us…?"

The black-and-white Delibird crowed… and then spluttered: for a second Ash thought it might've been dying. But then he realized it was laughing.

"Oh look," he said mildly, "a colicky man in a Delibird costume."

Hearing that, the Delibird turned towards him, crowing in anger.

"This'll teach you…!"

Digging into the sack it held, the strange creature pulled a hand… wing-full of wind-up dolls from it.

"Christmas's come early for the two of you!" it cackled, pelting them with the plastic dolls before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Remember my name…! Diabird!"

After batting away the shower of dolls, the two of them looked up to realize that the creature had gone.

"It used Present on us… then ran?" Ash wondered aloud.

Before Erynn could reply, though, the ground shook around them: impossibly, the wind-up dolls were growing; coming to life.

"What in Jirachi's name are _those_?" Erynn recoiled in disgust as the strange creatures advanced upon them from all directions.

These dolls were shaped like nothing they'd ever seen: they were faceless creatures with two arms and two legs, but the arms ended in sharp purple scythes, and their legs were short enough that they could walk on all fours without much of an effort. Apart from purple stripes about their body, they were entirely black.

The two of them looked between the creatures and each other; before they knew it, they had their Pokéballs in their hand.

"Let's get rid of them. Idyll; now!"

Erynn released her Bellossom, who shivered slightly in the frigid cold, but stood firm. Ash was having a little more trouble.

"Ditto…" he said, shaking the Pokéball that was Ditto's transformation. "Wake up!"

But all he succeeded in doing was forcing Ditto to transform once more into a potato. They weighed their chances. Escape wasn't an option, and the creatures were closing in warily about them. They had one Bellossom against a dozen of those creatures.

"Right… they've outnumbered us. And they took my colour scheme too," Erynn complained. "Only one thing for it, I guess…"

Ash looked toward Erynn one last time, and the both of them nodded. Recalling Bellossom, the two of them reached for their other Pokéball.

"Elem Morph!" Unconsciously, they posed, each of them bringing their arms out in front of them. Passing the balls over their gears twice, they spoke the words.

"Call of the Psychic! White Elem Ranger!"

"Call of the Fire! Red Elem Ranger!"

Simultaneously, Erynn was engulfed in flames and Ash released a psychic burst, causing the creatures to draw back as their transformations neared completion.

As the helmet formed about his head, Ash could feel the psychic power tugging at his mind again: Erynn's aura floated about him, a mixture of red, blue and gold, while the creatures radiated auras of pure black. Obviously, they meant to hurt them.

Erynn watched as they began their attack: a few of the more gutsy ones leapt directly at them: she ducked one and kicked the other to a side even as she tried to get through to the Voice.

"What _are_ these things?!" she'd forgotten that she didn't need to shout.

_I'd feared as much… the Forgotten has risen more quickly than I'd anticipated. These are his grunts: they're called Vio._

"Would that be in the singular or –ugh– plural?" Ash interjected half-jokingly, even as he was slashed by one of the creatures across the chest: luckily, the cheap-spandex-look-alike was anything but cheap, and everything but spandex.

"We can't stand up to this very long," he muttered, even as he sidestepped one of the Vio's blades, and stabbed it into another incoming. The resulting injury caused the creature to disintegrate into mid-air. "Cool."

Erynn nodded at his comment, sending two more on their way with a roundhouse kick.

"You remember the weapons we had…?"

Ash nodded; an action that left him open to a slice from behind, but which allowed the two of them to get away from the action for a moment. Turning to see the Vio getting ready for another sortie, she planted her feet firmly in the ground, raising her right arm to the sky.

"Let's do this quickly. Red Growlithe Ranger—Claws of Loyalty!"

Twin fists of flame quickly grew three sharp claws; in a second she was ready to take up the fight once more. Ash sighed, bringing his arm in front of him in his own imitation of a pose.

"White Ralts Ranger—Shield of Empathy!"

As he did, the feeling of Gardevoir's mind came to him stronger than before: he recognized her protection, even as her plume of green formed about his hand, materializing in a flash of brilliant light as a shield.

"Right; now we can take them." Her voice seemed to have gained an edge as she'd undertaken the transformation: Ash guessed it was the fact that Arcon, her Arcanine had been her partner.

"Let's go," he said quietly, not just to Erynn, but also to Gardevoir.

The battle was rejoined in a flash of sparks: Erynn's claws burned with intense flames as she sliced her way through a slew of Vio, using them both as shields and weapons. Reaching the end of the line, she barely waited to watch the few she'd wounded fatally disintegrate before she'd plunged her right claw into the ground, using the forward momentum of her run to swing her around for a second go.

Finding himself surrounded by Vio, Ash brought the shield up against the first one that jumped at him: there was a loud boom and a flash: the Vio was sent flying back over the ridge. Awed, he brought the shield up, swinging it about and knocking aside two with a single blow. The shield was lighter than he'd expected it to be: it moved almost like part of him as he brought it in front of him, speaking the words that somehow seemed so familiar to him.

"White Psybeam!"

The remaining few Vio that had been facing him were obliterated by a shining ray of white which emanated from the center of the shield: shortly after, his Pokégear blipped, and his ranger form powered down, leaving Erynn to the few left.

Dispatching two with quick thrusts into their slim, dark bodies, she turned to the three left: despite the odds stacked against them, though, they showed no sign of fear: they were mechanical toys, after all. But the adrenalin rushing through her veins had no eyes for that: with a roar, her claws burst into flame. She crossed them, the intensity visibly growing. As they leapt toward her, she released the blast.

"Red Ember!"

Bright streaks of flame burnt holes in the stunned Vio as they hung in the air, paralyzed for a second before disintegrating in a puff of smoke. The attack took the last of her energy from her, and in a few seconds she was herself again, as well.

By degrees they recovered, scanning the trees around them for any sign of the strange Diabird. Finding nothing, they heard the Voice speak to them once more.

_They've found out about you: now your mission is of greater urgency than ever before: if you're going to find the next ranger it's going to have to be soon._

Ash got to his feet, taking a few tentative steps down the steep path leading toward the bottom of the ridge. Motioning to Erynn, the two of them made their way down, their Pokéballs strapped safely back on their belts. As they did, Ash stared at the far-off town in the distance, wondering what else might be waiting there.

_I guess this settles it: it's no longer a dream._

_This much is confirmation._

**T E N T O R F O G  
F O R G O T T E N**

The figure silently stroked the black ball in his lap: as he did, the images which replayed across its surface dimmed. With a steely eye he stared down at the Delibird which lay prostrate in front of him.

"_Good work, Diabird… given time and I might even promote you…"_

The pseudo-Pokémon hardly dared to breathe: the boss was known for his violent mood-swings, and he wasn't sure yet this wasn't going to be one of them. He was almost relieved when he raised a spindly finger and indicated the door, at which point he scurried through said portal and out of his sight.

"_Now I know…" _he chuckled softly, _"at the very least, now I know that he's returned… and with only two rangers…_

"_That much is confirmation."_

**A/N: Yep. It's the time of the day when I put an author's note down. Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the ambiguity in my character submission form the last time around. I'd just like to say that I'd appreciate at least two weaknesses in the character's submission (sensibility is not a weakness, actually: it's a trait), and also, that your character base himself somewhere in the region. Right now, I'm looking for someone who might appear in Silv: the City of Frost. Your character might have been chased here, thrown into a cell here, whatever: if I can't find one, though, I'll just find the one in the closest city from Silv.**

**Ah… that's about it. I'm sorry if mine seems a little ambiguous: it's pretty dark for now.**


	4. Awakening

**Chapter 3 - Awakening**

"… salad. You know I don't eat Pokémon. Lapras or Ditto?"

Ash laughed at the question. "Need you ask? Hot or cold?"

Erynn sighed, shivering slightly from the cold about them. "At the moment, hot would be just fine." She looked about herself for a moment, before continuing the game. "Blessing or curse?"

Ash started at that: the question had been bugging him too. Tentatively he tried, "what makes you say that?"

The purple-haired girl exhaled, as though trying to release all the pent-up emotions within her. "Haven't you wondered yourself?" she asked rhetorically. Ash opened his mouth to answer: Erynn's look silenced him again.

"It didn't seem real at first," she said quietly: they had stopped now; they knew they were close enough to the town that they didn't have to rush. "Everything was so surreal: the transformation was so smooth, it felt almost like a part of me. _Too much_ like a part of me." Taking a few steps back, she leant against a frozen tree: Ash sat on a fallen log a few steps away, deciding to say his piece.

"The Voice never really seemed to be there, either. I listened to what it had to say, and I made my choice…" Ash continued, "but even then… it didn't seem quite real: it felt so _perfunctory_, like any other secret clan."

"Like the ones little children would create, with their secret handshakes and code words." Erynn smiled wanly at that, her fingers brushing across the surface of the ball unconsciously. "It wasn't serious at all, was it?"

"It's funny how one chance encounter can change your life so much," Ash observed, "reminds me of the time Ditto and I went into the massage parlour—"

"Oh do be serious!" Erynn snapped: but she was smiling a little, now.

Ash shrugged. "These balls are ours now: and no amount of thinking will bring things back the way they were. Whether they're a blessing or a curse, it's up to us to make the difference."

"Cliché; but you're right. If they brought us danger, at least they gave us protection against it, too." As she finished speaking, though, she grimaced. "What time is it?"

Ash checked his own Pokégear, nodding wearily as he noted the hour. "It'll be evening soon."

She groaned. "Right; I haven't eaten anything today…"

Ash wasn't sure that was as serious as she'd made it out to be: after all, she hardly ate, anyway. His Ditto packed more in than she did: then again, Ditto _was_ always into junk food. He sighed, looking up at the darkening sky.

"Well; I guess the Voice can't be _that_ impatient…"

Motioning toward the town, he got to his feet: the town was just visible in the distance, now: another half an hour's walk would get them there. And then he had an idea.

"Ditto; wake up," he said, shaking the Pokéball back into its original pink form. Almost immediately Ditto was up, standing at attention.

"Yeah… right," Ash said bemusedly. Erynn looked over with interest as he spoke.

"So… Ditto. Any experience Flying?"

"I don't know why I do this," Erynn groaned, as the two of them soared into the air on the back of a purple Skarmory. Ditto never _could_ quite the colours right. Despite the bumpy start, though, Ditto soon got the hang of it, and the both of them found themselves smiling inexplicably. It was reflex: there's nothing quite as exhilarating as flying at immense speeds as the cool air rushes by you.

Five minutes later, they were all on the ground: Ash was airsick and the both of them were semi-conscious thanks to a lack of oxygen.

"That's the last time I try that…" Ash moaned, getting to his feet. "Well," he said, looking around him, "at least we're here."

Ditto burbled proudly as both trainers got to their feet. They were right outside Silv now: it hardly looked different from the last time they'd visited; that was more than three years ago, now. The Gym was still standing, a solid establishment of steel with a large, cylindrical column jutting out its top: the Wind Tunnel was still singularly impressive.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it," Erynn noted, removing her shades for a moment to appreciate the silent beauty of the city.

"Yeah," Ash admitted. But it wasn't quite the same without the others, though he was grateful for Erynn's company.

"Right. Let's find a place to rest and eat: we'll have to continue the search tomorrow…"

Nodding, Erynn led the way to the Pokémon Center. Unbeknownst to the both of them, though, something else was watching them: something which looked very much like an eye…

**T E N T O R F O G**

**F O R G O T T E N**

"_It appears that the Red and White rangers have put off their search for the morrow…"_

The shadowy figure inclined his head: it might have been a gesture of approval or disapproval: the Unown monster gulped at the latter possibility.

"_Well, then… this would be a perfect opportunity to strike, now wouldn't it…?"_

With a hand he dismissed the Unown: rather, he used a Psychic which struck it against the wall. To the same effect. He pondered over his next move for a moment, before deciding on a course of action. Bringing up a menu on the holographic console which had sprung up at the touch of a button, he glanced cursorily down the length of the list he'd brought up. To any common observer, it seemed to be a roster of the grunts working for the Tentor Fog.

His eyes narrowed as he spotted a cluster of three names. Beside the names, faint pulses registered.

_So similar, and yet…_

Intrigued, he tapped yet another button: a summons for the three to enter his chamber. It wasn't long before they came: the boss was known for his impatience as much as for his temper.

"Your orders… sir?"

Hardly daring to look up, the three grunts worriedly cast glances at each other; from what they'd heard, humans rarely entered his chamber at all. There had to be some reason why…

_What the—_

The figure closed the orb he held in his hands again: the dark light that had emanated from it had done the work for him. He'd been surprised at how similar their life signatures had been: now he knew that it was no coincidence.

"_As you were brothers as humans, now you are brothers as monsters…"_

He looked at the three: they looked almost like ordinary Pokémon to him. Their belts had fallen to the ground, together with the rest of their clothing, and out of the Pokéballs attached had sprung their old Pokémon, as well.

The Hitmonchan bowed toward the figure, his Yanma flying up beside him.

"_Sir, we are here to do your bidding…"_

The figure nodded slowly: these would do just fine. He would've smiled, but evil people rarely do.

**T E N T O R F O G**

**F O R G O T T E N**

"That was fulfilling," Ash noted, stuffed as his Ditto was. Erynn still wasn't quite used to the fact that she could see Ditto's dinner floating about inside him, but she was too tired to object. Ditto was asleep, anyway, so it wasn't quite so disturbing.

"I'm glad you both enjoyed it…" she hadn't had such a great time, seeing as they didn't have as much here for vegetarians like herself: plants didn't grow so well in Silv. Still, Ash's winnings as the Pokémon League Champion had more than made up for it. The fans and autographs, though, they could do without.

Removing her jacket in the comfortable warmth of the Pokémon Center, she shrugged. Now that they were in the privacy of their own room, she could safely turn the Synchronize function on. So she did.

"…! Ash, get your gear Synchronized and take a look at this."

Curious, Ash placed the sleeping Ditto on his bed, and then decided to put it on the floor instead. He wondered just how good the dry-cleaners around here were.

Bringing up the menu, he tapped the Synchronize button, then stared at the one pulse they'd seen as grey before.

It was now blue. And pulsing only a little weaker than theirs were.

Ash nodded, making to turn off the Pokégear. "Well, I guess this confirms it. The next ranger's here."

Erynn shook her head no, before making her way across to him and sitting down on his bed herself. She took Ash's Pokégear (and wrist) in hand, examining it for a moment before letting it go.

"Here!" she pointed to a part of his Synchronize console, "these pulses."

Staring at the console for a bit, he realized that she was right. There were three pulses, all remarkably similar to each other, each forming a faint black line.

"You mean, the other rangers are in the vicinity too…?"

Erynn shrugged; she wasn't quite sure.

"Whatever it is, they're coming this way: the pulses are getting stronger."

He looked about himself apprehensively.

"We've got three Black Rangers, then…?" the pulses were not changing hue at all: jet black and pulsing just as strongly.

"I highly doubt it…" Erynn put her shades on before stepping to a window. Then she realized she couldn't see anything, since it was night. She took her shades off, and then turned back to the window.

"Oh great…" she moaned. Ash rolled the sleeping Ditto along the ground a bit before looking up.

"The pizza's come?"

Erynn blanched at the thought of sliced Pokémon meat on top of… you don't want to know. At any rate, she blanched. "No; worse… I think."

She motioned for the both of them to get outside just as a loud crash shattered the silence of the night. Houses seemingly devoid of wakeful life before suddenly had their lights on: others were rushing out to survey the scene.

The scene that greeted them as they stepped outside was less than pretty. Six Pokémon were standing at the center of the large square that was Silv. A large crack in the concrete path with ran through the town was evidence enough of the lead Pokémon's power. They looked just like rogue Pokémon, except Ash knew something was wrong. It could've been the vague sense of foreboding in the back of his mind: possibly a remnant from his psychic connection with Gardevoir. Or it could've been the fact that the Synchronize meter on his Pokégear was flashing wildly.

Hurriedly, the two of them turned that particular function off: the flashy lights were sure to attract attention after awhile.

"The Voice never said anything about Pokémon being Rangers, did they…?"

Erynn shook her head no. "I doubt two Pokémon would be able to sync together in any such way…"

And it was at that moment that the Hitmonchan spoke.

"_I know you're here somewhere… Poke Rangers, we're here to destroy you!"_

Ash groaned inwardly: they were both tired, and they hadn't even found the third ranger yet. But there wasn't time to complain: the both of them looked about; there were too many innocents to morph in the vicinity. Erynn pulled Ash by the arm, and the two of them set about, running behind the Pokémon Center; luckily, the space at the back was usually reserved for storage, so there were no windows there.

Nodding at one another, they shouted the words.

"Elem Morph!"

That was as far as they got before they realized they were not meant to be heard.

"Right… that's a bummer."

Quietly they peeked around the side of the building: luckily (or unluckily), the three pseudo-Pokémon and their partners were decimating the many Pokémon the other trainers had bravely tried to send out against them.

"Elem Morph…" they whispered.

"Call of the Psychic… White Ralts Ranger…" Ash intoned, feeling a trifle foolish.

"Call of the Fire; Red Growlithe Ranger," Erynn said, a little more assuredly.

The flames seared along Erynn's arm, up across her chest and down her legs as they formed her armour; as her transformation neared completion, the leaf unfurled itself about Ash's morph, leaving him decked in his own gear.

"Right," Erynn said confidently to him, "let's head out and take those goons."

Feeling a little disturbed at her attitude, Ash followed. A few seconds later, he bumped into her and almost fell over: she had stopped abruptly. Through the visor of his Ralts morph, he could see her emotions: this one was clear enough that he recognized.

Surprise.

Before they even had the chance to draw the monsters' attention away from the crowd, a new figure had emerged, and a voice rose above the hubbub of cries.

"Right; I've had enough! Take this!"

Nurse Joy emerged from the Pokémon Center, carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic machine gun. She ran towards the monsters firing round after round: everyone else had the sense to get out of the way.

But the creatures hardly seemed fazed by her attacks: with a single word they'd all slipped out of the way.

"_Detect."_ And the bullets hailed into a nearby tree. A few nearby trees.

The Hitmontop was the first to respond.

"_Triple Kick!"_

With a roar, he disabled the gun, sent it flying, and knocked Nurse Joy back: she didn't seem to be badly hurt, just unconscious, though.

"Right… now they're asking to be beaten!" Erynn shouted, recovering and rushing forward. Ash followed close behind.

The creatures seemed to have anticipated their arrival, though: as one they turned to face the two rangers.

"_Well… the Poke Rangers, I see. It's great to finally meet you… I am Fiztor,"_ the Hitmonchan spoke, almost friendly. _"These are my brothers Topztor and Fooztor, and together we are the three Hitmen."_

Ash groaned beneath his helmet. "I sure didn't see _that_ one coming," he noted sarcastically.

The Hitmonchan seemed to grin; the fact that there were fifteen other trainers staring fearfully at him meant nothing: he and his gang were there for the rangers.

"_I see you have a sense of humour, white ranger…_

"_It's a pity we'll have to kill you."_

As he spoke the last few words, everything seemed to happen at once. Almost immediately the other trainers were running for cover as the battle began. Nurse Joy facilitated the evacuation into her Pokémon Center. As they did, the two sides rushed forward into a confrontation. Almost subconsciously, both rangers yelled for their respective weapons: Topztor's Triple Kick was met squarely by jabs from the fiery claws, as Fooztor's Rolling Kick attack bounced ineffectually off the Psychic shield.

Ash parried the next blow from the Hitmonlee morph, before swinging his shield across, knocking the creature off-balance. It stumbled for a moment, allowing him to slam his shield into the ground, using the upward momentum to deliver a kick which sent Fooztor flying.

As Topztor kicked aside every fist that Erynn through at him, his eyes began to shine with an intense glow: as Erynn found an opening at last, he roared as he Countered the very attack she'd thrown at him: she was sent flying back, recovering momentarily to curse.

"_Three against two… the odds are stacked against you."_

The two rangers barely had time to wonder where the voice was coming from before a blur swept past them: for a moment it seemed as though nothing had happened, then they flinched back in pain as Fiztor's Mach Punch struck home. Falling back in pain, they barely rolled out of the way in time before Fiztor's dual-fisted Thunderpunch slammed the ground where they'd been a moment ago. The cracks in the concrete path where they'd lain were proof enough of his ability.

"Right… this isn't working. Voice; you there?" Ash called as he blocked another salvo of attacks from Fiztor and Fooztor. Erynn found herself backed up against a wall as her two fists were no match for the Hitmontop's three-limbed attack. In a flash of inspiration, she parried the attacks with her fists before propping her back against the wall and executing a jackknife straight at Topztor. The monster barely had time to dodge before it had been knocked back.

In response, though, Fiztor paid it back with a Sky Uppercut, sending her flying to a side. The suit negated some of the damage, but attacks which could break concrete could very easily break her. Ash took advantage of the short respite to begin a fresh attack on Fooztor, but Fiztor's speed brought him back in time to force Ash to go back on the defensive.

And the Voice wasn't responding: whether because it was too strenuous or because it was simply asleep, neither of the rangers knew: what they _did_ know, though, was that unless the third ranger somehow appeared in front of them (and they knew he couldn't, because his morph ball was still in their room), they were in big trouble.

* * *

The teenager watched the battle from afar, glad for the distraction: the Poke Rangers were things he'd only imagined about, but for now, they couldn't have come at a better time.

In two seconds he'd disabled the electronic lock at the front of the Silv gym. He stepped in, hardly caring for the magnificent Wind Tunnel which took up a large part of the arena. The object of his quest lay elsewhere.

There: a computer, innocuous enough, except that it took up an entire wall. Carelessly he let his fingers slide over the console: in a few seconds the security codes had been bypassed: in another minute he was in the Pokémon League database. He listened for any clue of the battle ending outside, but he was sure it was still going strong. Cursorily he glossed over the information for a certain Ash Vortnes—he smirked a little at the title of Pokémon League Champion. His fingers moved expertly over the keyboard until he found his own entry.

_Brian Anderson_

As though in response, though, the machine flickered and died: Brian stood back, startled. That had not been part of the plan.

And then the voice spoke.

"_Good evening, Blue Ranger…"_

He stepped back uneasily: his tech-smart side told him the computer was definitely dead, but the rest of him couldn't discount the fact that there was a voice speaking to him from within it.

"_You're pretty smart to try to hack into the Pokémon League database, aren't you?"_

He knew it wasn't making any sense. Blue Ranger? The computer had probably mistaken him for someone else… he wasn't—

"_Doesn't look like you know yet, do you?"_ the screen seemed to gleam malevolently.

"_No matter. You'll have the rest of eternity to wonder about that…"_

And then the darkness reached out to claim him.

**A/N: Right. Here we are at the end of another suspenseful chapter! At least, I hope it was suspenseful. Thanks to Phoenix Espeon and Psyduck Ranger for the character / monster respectively!**

**What else can I say? Not much, really. Just hope you enjoyed it: it was very interessant for me to write, myself. Stay tuned for the next chapter, because it might be coming sooner than you know it! I'm not sure if the next chapter should be called a Part 2… maybe it will, I guess.**


	5. Awakening: Part Two

**A/N: If you've been reading the earlier chapters, you'd realize that the Voice has been referred to as a 'he'. Well, I'm sorry but I've decided to change that: he's now a she!**

**And see if you can't figure out a little more from the short history lesson through the middle. Once more, credits to Psyduck Ranger and Phoenix Espeon for the Monsters/Character respectively.**

**Chapter 4 - Awakening (Part Two)**

Ash ducked just in time as a Mega Kick shattered the wall behind him; a second later and it would've been his head. He raised his shield as Fooztor brought the kick swinging down in a wild heel drop: he winced as the impact turned his arm to jelly: his only comfort lay in the fact that Fooztor felt the impact just as badly.

Rolling to a side, he escaped the pin the Hitmonlee-monster had on him, stepping back to allow himself space for a counterattack: as Fooztor turned around, he swung his shield, knocking the wind out of him. Taking advantage of the lapse, he turned to Erynn.

The twin claws were made for attacking: not defense; as it was, cornered by two monsters, her situation was a little more desperate than Ash's had been. Each attack by the piston-punching Fiztor she had only just managed to parry: each time she tried to draw breath, she'd be knocked back by Topztor: both Pokémon worked together, wearing her down easily.

Fooztor barely had time to shout a warning before Ash had pounced upon Fiztor, the shield raised high as he attempted to hammer the Hitmonchan. What Ash hadn't counted on was that a split-second warning was all Fiztor needed: as he brought the shield down, he found the forward momentum turning against him as the monster stopped his motion with a single palm.

"_Counter."_

Wincing as she watched her partner get thrown back, Erynn still knew better than to waste the opportunity; parrying Hitmontop's Triple Kick with her right wrist, she pushed herself away from the wall she was backed against, using the forward momentum to deliver a stinging uppercut: the claws raked Fiztor's chest as she did, eliciting a small grunt of pain.

The triumph was short-lived, though: as she withdrew her arm, Fiztor grabbed it, pulling her forward against her will: with a grunt, he sent her flying forward into the pavement with a Vital Throw. She grit her teeth against the pain as the three monsters regrouped once more: both sides were sporting small injuries, but they were definitely getting the better of the rangers.

"Darn it…" Ash cursed, getting to his feet: he flexed his arm a few times to try and clear it of the numbness. Beside him, Erynn rose; she was just as tired.

"Voice; a little help here…?"

But the Voice didn't respond: maybe it had nothing left to say; maybe they were just too far away.

Shaking the irrelevant rhyme from her mind, Erynn used the lull to look around Silv: the remainder of the trainers were now barricaded in the Pokémon Centre and the PokéMart. Despite the odds, she flashed a thumbs-up at them.

"Anything to keep their spirits up…"

The both of them looked apprehensively at the trio facing them: they seemed to be ready for another salvo of attacks. Their muscles tensed as they held their respective weapons in front of themselves, readying themselves to take the opposition on.

"You know, if we don't survive this…" Ash whispered to her, "you still owe me money from that last meal."

Erynn smiled a little behind her helmet, and then the enemy was upon them.

* * *

"Who… what are you?" despite his fear, his words still came out steady.

The computer screen seemed to flicker, reflected by his glasses; it might have been a reaction of some sort, or it might just have been distortion. But then it spoke again.

"_I am… everything. I am who I am, and who you say I am._

"_I am darkness, I am light. I am everything that was… and I am forgotten._

"_I have been forgotten for too long…"_

The shadows seemed to grow longer about him: looking up at the room's only light source, the open window, he realized that the moon itself seemed to be taking a different shape; colours swirled as he lost track of where he was, who he was, _what_ he was…

_Not yet._

Brian's world snapped back into focus as a second voice responded in his head: this one sounded nowhere as strong as the first, but it had an air of authority nonetheless. It sounded a little like what a conscience might sound like; if consciences could speak, of course.

_I won't allow you to take him: not yet, not now._

The other voice seemed somewhat surprised by the strength present in the last statement.

"_You were meant to be trapped; trapped in the Chamber of Eternity… how…?"_

It didn't seem to be intimidated in the least: Brian took that as a bad sign; the sounds of fighting outside seemed subdued now, but that was the least of his worries: right now, he was caught in the middle of a battle out of his control. Composing himself, he listened to the encounter as one with no other choice.

_A small mistake on your part, I'm afraid: as the Psychic Guardian of Elem, you can hardly expect me to let a little thing like losing my body stop me, can you?_

Brian's eyes widened: the Guardians, if he remembered his history, were a group of three Pokémon who had watched over the region of Elem for past millennia; the day they disappeared had been one unrecorded in history, but they hadn't been seen for thousands of years.

The Guardian of Steel had been a mythical Aggron, said to be large enough to create and destroy whole mountains: if he wasn't wrong, Aluminate still had a statue of him, being the traditional village they were. He was said to have tunneled the Iro tunnel by himself, lifting the sea to create the great cavern.

The Guardian of Psychic had been a legendary Gardevoir, who was said to have been able to soothe the troubled and calm the enraged: her powers extended far beyond the range of most Psychic-types. Her powers were largely dependent on how the people felt: as she spread joy across the region, her powers magnified. In times of suffering though, her powers weakened, ironically.

The Guardian of Darkness had been an Absol: it was said to protect the land from natural disasters: he was said to have been able to appear at multiple locations, so long as he was needed: not much was known about him, though: darkness shrouded his agenda, and he never seemed to work with the other two Guardians.

Over time, the legends had made way for new truths: now they existed only in history books and fairytales.

And, he reflected, one of them existed in his mind as well. The next sentence came with a burst of power: he instinctively removed his hands from their respective pockets in his hoody, clapping them against his temples as the world began to swirl once more.

"_His mind has already been claimed by the Forgotten: you have no right to interfere."_

The voice of the Guardian seemed to chuckle faintly: despite her weakness, she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

_Au contraire, you-who-was-once-known: as long as what you do continues to threaten the sanctity of this region, I'm afraid I'll have to try my best to thwart you._

The mental assault died down a little: he let his hands drop back into his pockets with a little difficulty. Despite himself, Brian was beginning to feel intrigued: he'd become caught up in something far bigger than he was.

"_Do not test the power of the Forgotten: you yourself might not remember the fact that I am now as synchronized as any of the _rangers_ you might have already brought back."_

It was at that that he felt the power of the Guardian fading in his mind: the last few words she spoke were ones he'd never forget.

_But souls tainted by hatred… will never understand._

There was a loud crash as the presence disappeared: for a moment he was alone again. And then…

_That's it. The last of my power: the rest will come to you naturally._

Sensing hesitation in the dark presence about him, he realized that the crash had been caused by something flying through a window at high speed. Picking the object up with a hand, he realized that it was a grey Pokéball. One marked differently from any other he'd ever seen before. He felt a strange energy surging through his body as he held the ball in his hands; in a shimmer of light, a Pokégear materialized around his wrist: it seemed entirely alien, yet remarkably familiar.

The ball seemed to be prompting him to make a choice: watching the darkness about him, he came to an ultimatum. In three seconds, he'd made that choice.

"Walrein, I choose you," he spoke quietly.

As he said the words, the grey Pokéball in his hands turned blue: it was streaked with white down its sides and had two miniature tusks across its middle.

As he unconsciously struck a pose, the energy seemed to work for him, bringing the ball across his Pokégear in two swift motions. As though the Darkness had awoken from its daze, it closed in around him one more time: for a moment, Brian saw the world as though through a haze.

As though in response the device strapped about his wrist emanated a light brighter than any he'd ever known: it wasn't blinding; it was almost comforting in its purity.

And then the words came to him.

"Call of the Water…! Blue Spheal Ranger!"

A jet of rushing water sprang from his gear, causing a fine rain to fall about him: the water didn't seem to soak him, though: it stuck as though to some invisible surface about his body: as he moved, it moved with him, enveloping his body until it covered his body entirely: then it began to take shape. Layers firmed and textures became defined: the material turned from transparent to opaque: a pale robin-egg blue. About his shoulders, small tusks like those of a Spheal acted as guards: white streaks blazed down either side of his armour as his transformation neared completion. He _almost_ smiled as the helmet formed over his face, the visor coming up to complete his transformation.

The Darkness reared back angrily as tendrils of darkness sought a weakness: he watched its movements calmly, his movements unhurried even as the black immateria rushed at him: empowered by the armour, he dodged easily: the bond with his Walrein amplified their calm; dodging the attacks easily, he felt the last of the Guardian's energy leave him with the final set of instructions.

"This is it," he stated: it had a chilling air of finality about it. With a flourish, he brought his arm up to shoulder level.

"Blue Spheal Ranger – Bow of Solitude!"

Blue energy coursed from his Pokégear down into his hand, materializing in the shape of a blue crossbow: the bow itself seemed to have been made out of two Walrein tusks. With a steady eye he aimed it directly at the source of the darkness, his features unrecognizable behind the visor.

"Blue Hail!"

He pulled the trigger, releasing bolt after bolt of freezing ice at the console. The darkness howled in pain at its defeat, retreating out of the Gym.

He rushed out of the Gym in an effort to catch up with it, only to find the presence gone. What _wasn't_ gone, however, were the three creatures which the other Poké Rangers had only just managed to fend off. He watched for a second as they fought off another attack: despite himself, he knew that unless he helped, they'd have no chance of surviving.

He looked from one party to the other, before shrugging. There _was_ a reason he'd been chosen: probably the same reason why they were here in Silv. He leveled the crossbow as he let the thoughts run through his head. His arm shuddered as a ball of ice shot straight at the Hitmonlee.

* * *

"What was that crash…?" Erynn wondered aloud: her loss of focus resulted in a jab at her mid-riff and another to the side of her helmet: she crashed painfully, recovering with a little effort.

"Right…" Ash spoke again: his attempts to damage Fooztor and Topztor were getting nowhere, "I'm hoping these guys don't have reinforcements… we're having enough trouble with—"

Their conversation was interrupted as Fiztor's Yanma unleashed a painfully earsplitting Supersonic for the third time. As with the other times, they fell to the ground a moment later: their tactics were boring, but incredibly effective. They had managed to take out the ungainly Tropius and the unpronounceable Yukimenoko (they reasoned that if the Pokémon were out to kill them, it was provocation enough), but Yanma was proving too elusive.

Getting to their feet, Ash turned to Erynn for a moment: the aura about her was predominantly red now, though there still were tinges of gold; getting her attention, he waved his shield about for a moment; confusion turned to comprehension as they decided on their course of action.

"Red Ember!"

"White Psybeam!"

Their weapons glowed as they each released a burst of energy: the trio were forced back a notch: despite their tiredness, they hadn't devolved.

"Looks like we're getting stronger," Ash noted.

"The question is: is it too little, too late?" Erynn noted grimly.

_Not if I can help it._

The both of them started despite their exhaustion: the Voice had returned.

"Voice! Where… I mean, how… right, I mean, you were gone… and…!" Ash struggled to find the words until he realized that they were no longer alone.

"This energy…!"

Chancing a glance to a side, he watched in amazement as what appeared to be a blue ranger took aim at Fooztor: in another second a ball of ice had struck home, catapulting the Pokémonster face-first into the concrete path.

"Voice… that's…?" Erynn had stopped to watch as well.

_Your new partner: I'll explain later._

"Right… let's do this!" Ash said with renewed energy: Erynn followed closely behind.

Ash engaged with Fiztor as he jumped into the fray: the punching Pokémon sent a flurry of blows right at him: he could do little but dodge and guard, trying to find an opening.

But that left Erynn alone with Topztor. She smiled grimly behind her helmet as the Pokémon initiated the battle with another Triple Kick. Calmly she blocked the first and second kicks: with no third fist, the final blow came rushing at her: as though by instinct, though, she somersaulted backwards, causing the final kick to miss its mark entirely: as she spun in mid-air, she caught the Hitmontop a blow with her claws: they glowed as they raked the monster: as she landed gracefully on the ground, the monster fell to the ground behind her: its body was consumed by flame.

She winced: that had cost as much energy as she'd been able to muster.

Brian watched the battle with a sense of disdain: the Hitmonlee running at him did little in the way of intimidation: his eyes narrowed as the creature approached before he raised the crossbow for the last time.

"Blue Hail!"

The Hitmonlee unleashed its Hi-Jump Kick attack: in a second it was above him and on the way down. As he flew through the icicle hail, though, he seemed to lose momentum: his eyes widened as he stopped flying forward: he fell to the ground a moment later, pierced by hundreds of tiny ice needles.

Ash's attempts to counterattack were proving a spectacular failure: his kicks and punches were no match for the Hitmonchan, and his shield was too unwieldy a weapon to use: his energy was all but depleted.

"_What…? Topztor; Fooztor…?!"_

Fiztor looked about himself, even as his fists continued to pummel the Shield of Empathy (it didn't really require any effort on his part). He saw now that he'd been foolish not to have taken them out earlier. More, he saw that his brothers were now dead.

"_Accursed rangers…"_ his voice was a far cry from the relatively jocular one of before: now it dripped hatred in every syllable. _"You have killed the ones I call family: my brothers were all I had."_

"_Now all I have is hatred. And you will regret this day."_

Raising a hand to the sky, the rangers watched, stunned, as Yanma perches upon it.

"_Be honoured that I shall be using this attack to kill you: I have never had recourse to use it before."_

His voice trembled with a finality that left them all feeling cold.

"_Astral Punch."_

Yanma screeched, attaching itself to Fiztor's back: with its help, Fiztor rose into the air: tentatively, Brian attempted to release a Blue Hail; a shimmer of green energy greeted the attack, dissipating it. Yanma was using Protect.

With another loud screech, Yanma raised its head to the sky, releasing a Swift attack: the golden stars flew into the air, three of them swerving as they found their targets.

"_Here I come."_

And suddenly one Hitmonchan was three: as the stars reached the apex of their flight and began to descend rapidly upon their targets, Fiztor rode with them. His fists began glowing red, blue and yellow at the same time: a rainbow of colours which would have seemed beautiful, but in the current situation seemed purely sinister.

None of the trainers even had a chance to dodge: the stars had split: Ash and Erynn at one end, Brian at the other. Fiztor's fist glowed a bright white as it connected.

There was an impact, like thunder without sound. For a moment, everything was silent.

Brian flew a few metres through the air, landing in a heap on the ground. He could feel the presence of Walrein in his mind as well as in his body: its thick skin had protected him from the worst of the attack.

Ash collapsed where he stood: he had been struck by two attacks. The shield he held in front of him dissipated, leaving Erynn to stare in shock for a moment as his demorphed self fell in front of her.

Surveying the scene, Fiztor smiled grimly. He had given them a small taste of his power… and that would be enough: for now.

"Oh crud…" she whispered softly, before hurriedly dragging him away from the center of the square. If anything, his identity had to remain a secret.

The Blue Ranger got to his feet painfully: Erynn watched for a moment as he turned away from them.

"Wait…!" she called out tentatively.

He shrugged; the night seemed to cloak his intentions entirely.

"Let the Guardian fill you in about the rest of this: for now, I'd prefer to be alone."

Without a backward glance, he ran off into the night: she wasn't sure if he was able to cope with the new responsibility. Looking about herself, she realized that everyone else had been watching them from inside the Pokémon Centre: there was no way she'd be able to find a place to demorph here.

"Voice… any particular answer to this dilemma…?"

The Voice seemed to have returned for good. Despite sounding a trifle drained, she appeared to be alright.

_The emergency teleportation function should've been installed by now: if you'll just activate it…_

Erynn nodded subconsciously, tapping the console on her arm as she located the function. She made to press it, and then stopped.

"The blue ranger said something… he told me to let the Guardian fill me in."

Her brow creased as she looked toward the moon. "What did he mean by Guardian…?"

The Voice took a moment to reply.

_All in good time._

And then they were off, in a whirlwind of white light.

**A/N: Yep. Hooray. I'm done in a day!**

**One small issue was that along the way, I got confused with my tenses (or rather, I think I did – I had a headache and I canceled half my story because I somehow seemed to have used present tense, though now I'm beginning to feel I was confused about that). If you see something wrong with my tenses or my grammar or whatever-it-is, feel free to tell me.**

**And sorry if the plot seems a bit convoluted now: it depends on how my brain is feeling: right now it's feeling convoluted. So there.**


	6. Solitude

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Power Rangers, or the concept of putting the two together. That last is owned by Yankee Blaze, which is what he now calls himself. Hooray for him.**

**Incidentally, there're so many Poké Rangers stories that I'm quite amazed at how large the world is progressing. Over time, the roots spread; grow; it becomes quite intriguing to note how all of it works out.**

**At any rate, I'm writing this now that I've finally finished this chapter. This should clear up quite a few issues, and hopefully raise some new ones… enjoy!**

**Chapter 5 - Solitude**

"He'll be alright, won't he…?" Erynn chanced as she stepped away from the silver capsule which had risen from the ground. Blue waves of energy washed over Ash's inert body as his harsh breathing slowed: the trance of healing had him unconscious in a heartbeat.

_He'll be alright…_ the Voice replied softly, _his Psychic Shield, on the other hand, will take some time to repair._

She watched for a moment as the angry red weal across his chest where the attack had torn through his defense showed a slight hint of returning to its normal colour: she reached toward him to brush off some of the crusted blood around his arm, only to find herself repelled by a psychic force.

_Don't go any nearer; you'll disrupt the flow of energy, _the Voice warned her.

She looked toward the blue light, stepping back a little more cautiously. Frowning, she tried to turn to face the Voice: finding it a trifle impossible, she turned back toward the machine instead.

"What is that, anyway?" she murmured softly: she wasn't sure he could hear their conversation, but his rest deserved to be an undisturbed one; at any rate the Voice didn't have to be spoken to in order to hear.

_It's a reconstitutor… those you might have seen in Pokémon Centres; only those were built for Pokéballs._

She looked toward the large machine: it hardly looked like the smaller machines she'd seen: though she couldn't expect humans to fit into a Pokéball anyway. But she shrugged the answer aside.

"That's not what I meant…" she said, shaking her head, "how does it work…?"

_If recent events haven't told you as much, a large part of this universe is dictated by the pulsing of our individual life signatures. The machines you've seen…_ she searched for the words,_ they amplify that force; that quickening of life allows for rapid regeneration, and so… _the Voice trailed off; an open invitation for him to continue.

"So how long will he take to recover?" she pressed on. The Voice shifted about before replying.

_A night at most; that is as far as I can see._ Her voice seemed somewhat subdued: Erynn guessed that even a guardian would have her moments.

But now wasn't the time for sentiment: she looked away from him, to the chamber about her. She couldn't see the Voice, but she knew it was watching. And if they were going to fight for a cause that they might get so injured for, then they deserved to know what was going on.

"Hey, Voice," she said, a little more determinedly, "you did promise to tell us what exactly is going on. Why were we attacked? Twice?" she added, looking over to her partner even as she said the words. "And what of the blue Ranger's words…? What did he mean by Guardian?"

She spoke the words with more than a little trepidation; yet at the same time she knew she had to know. The Voice seemed to sigh reluctantly: after a moment of tension, she finally spoke.

… _You do know of the three Guardians of Elem, don't you…?_

Erynn nodded slowly—she'd heard of them: there'd been books speculating on their existence in the past; the possibility that three Pokémon of such power had once existed.

"I… might've heard of them…"

But the implications of the question were obvious in her mind. They were no longer myth; no longer legend. Now they were real; to her, at least.

… _This once was truth, that once upon a time there were three of us. This region was shaped by the hands of the mighty Aggron: it was he who carved valleys from steep mountains and plains from jagged wasteland._

… _Then there was Absol; it was he who quelled the wild storms and brought an end to the rage of the sea: he held in his mind not only the power to foretell, but in his paws the ability to forestall._

… _And then there was I: who was once Gardevoir._

Erynn started at the significance of the revelation: but the Voice hardly seemed to notice as she continued speaking.

… _It was I who calmed the frightened souls of men: who brought the beauty of emotions to Pokémon and Human alike. The three of us worked in unison: we never came in contact with but a few mortals, simply because in power lies tainted desire._

The Voice stopped at this point: Erynn opened her mouth for a moment, making as if to question the point of the narrative, but the Voice interrupted her.

_It pains me much to recall most of this, but then it is imperative I relay this to you. Please, bear with me a little longer: we have still a while to wait._

She nodded, a trifle frustrated at the roundabout way in which the Voice – no, the Guardian, she corrected herself – was doing the recounting. Realizing how little she understood, she stepped back: almost immediately a metal stool rose up from the ground and practically knocked her into her seat: wincing a little, she turned to watch the reconstitutor as the Guardian continued her narrative.

_Of course: there had to be a turning point; Absol and I had known for a long time of the warped nature of time: all things were doomed to be repeated, and past distortions in fate's web were bound to occur once more._

_It started with him: it was as much as I had feared._

Erynn felt the chamber about her grow a trifle colder: despite herself, she couldn't help but feel the same sadness and loss the Guardian felt. Whether it was her empathy on her part or the Guardian's unrestrained power she couldn't tell.

_Absol had always been the most unpredictable of the three of us: few humans revered him as much as they did us, simply because he was a harbringer of doom: whether he was its source or not was irrelevant._

Erynn shivered; she remembered the small town of Abysmuth: its ruined façade fronted by the single remaining statue—that of a giant Absol—had been as chilling a reminder of what had been forgotten as their first meeting with the newly-formed Team Epsilon then and there.

_Even I wasn't sure when he first turned: we three Guardians met rarely, as we kept to our lands: Aggron kept his watch in the mountainous south and southwest, I kept my lands in the north and central areas, while Absol presided in the east and northeastern regions._

Erynn breathed as she recalled the cities. "The East… that's Abysmuth, Zirconium, Cadma and Odine…" At this, she paused. "Odine was…" she didn't have to finish her sentence.

_Indeed, he was the one who first wondered if humans were taking us for granted. I understood how he felt, of course, but there was little I could do to change it. No matter how many disasters Absol averted, with any one that slipped through his watch, humans blamed him._

_It wasn't sudden: while Aggron remained stolid in his duties and I continued to bless the people, Absol began to slip. And yet, while I saw, I was unable to change any of it: we Guardians held power over the world, but nothing over each other._

"But…" Erynn interjected, but she had been forestalled.

_We had friendship, yes: but in that friendship laid a trust so deep that I never dared breach it: we believed in each others' judgement, for we were the three who founded this region. Aggron played a passive role in all of this, and to today I cannot help but believe his was the best decision of all._

Erynn turned to her fallen friend once more, emotions of sorrow creeping into her heart. Whether they were inspired by present events, or the emotions inspired by the Guardian's narrative, she couldn't tell. But she said nothing, and let her narrative continue.

_As I had feared, my appeal to him came too late: he burst into a rage: not directed at me, but at the reality of humans—he saw that they were selfish beings, unknowing; unable to reciprocate. His anger was one not furious, but silent. It was so intense that even I was unable to influence it._

The air around Erynn grew charged with intensity: behind her, she heard a low moan from Ash, but she felt powerless to do anything.

_The fight was as anticlimactic as it was sudden. He, who had nothing left to lose, had grown mad with a thirst for redress. The emotions of hate; of suffering and pain: they were horrible to—_

The Guardian cut its narrative off as Erynn rose from the ground, the immense pressure finally lifting from her shoulders. She panted as she struggled to catch her breath: the asphyxiating mass of emotions dissipated and her muscles relaxed.

Wiping beads of perspiration off her brow, she turned to face Ash, who still lay unconscious: his clenched fist had just begun to relax: she reached for his hand only to remember the Guardian's warning.

She stepped away, instead sitting, slumped against the side of the capsule, her head bowed as she tried to consolidate the thoughts which ran through her mind.

… _I'm sorry. Perhaps now was not the time…_

Erynn shook her head in what might have been both a yes and no. She opened her mouth to sigh, but was interrupted by a white flash.

"Wha…?"

_He's chosen a good time to attack…_

What had once been an expanse of blank rock wall was now brightly lit, although there were no obvious light sources anywhere: the computer screens around the central machine blipped into life, displaying a full map of Elem even as the wall began to register what appeared to be live video footage.

Chaos. A large group of Vio was racing through the city, attacking civilians without any sign of emotion: toys on a rampage, and definitely not child-safe. Her eyes recognized the town only too well.

"Damn it, why won't they just stay away from the innocent?" she angrily shouted: she turned to the map, which only proved what she already knew.

They were attacking Rubidium.

_You should know that this is a ruse… the Forgotten rarely works in ways as common as that. With Ash out of commission, they'll have the upper hand this time._

"If I cared about any of that," Erynn answered with a strange laugh as she picked up her SP Ball, "would I ever have joined this crazy team in the first place?"

Donning her shades once more, she turned to leave.

_Wait._

"Look, I don't have time—"

… _How do you think you're going to get there in time?_

She opened her mouth and shut it again.

_There're two options. One, use Ash's Ditto. Gardevoir is out of commission because she's bonded to his White Ranger powers._

Erynn thought for a moment. "What's two?"

The Guardian seemed to pause for a moment before she responded.

_Be warned: it's but a prototype… yet one I have successfully modified…_

Another hidden panel revealed itself from within the ground, displaying what appeared to be a simple, gray motorbike, only without wheels. It was plain and entirely unassuming, apart from the fact that it was hovering, there were three holes cut into its side and there was no ignition, all which meant:

_Quite. Try inserting your own morpher._

Erynn hesitated a moment: it was never easy to trust the life of your Pokémon to a strange contraption, no matter how safe it might have been said to be: if the device didn't work right, Arcon would be little but dust. With her heart in her throat, she inserted it.

_Click._

A melodic tone sounded which resonated about the chamber: the ball she had placed into the slot glowed and lit up, the flame patterns on its surface glowing brightly: as she watched, the pattern spread from the ball to the surface of the motorbike: the tendrils of bright, luminescent colour creeping across, fanning out into increasingly intricate designs, were a beauty to behold.

As the colour crept across the seat, the pattern changed: the flat, black surface exploded in a mass of soft white fur, identical to Arcon's; and the handle-bars curved back and turned white in a perfect imitation of his fangs.

Erynn gaped at the sight, amazed by the beauty of the new vehicle.

_This is a prototype of the Omnibike: its full potential has yet to be unlocked, but for now it'll work well enough to serve your purpose._

_It _is_ equipped with weapons, but these vary depending on your power. I have little practical information at the moment, so I shall leave it to you to test these out._

"It's… beautiful…" Erynn breathed, before she remembered herself. Mounting the bike, she marveled at how light it felt under her, before turning once more to look at Ash.

… _I'll be back,_ she whispered.

* * *

It didn't matter that she had no idea how to use a motorbike: amazingly enough, the hovering bike seemed to counterbalance her weight no matter how she threw it. She had the helmet of her suit off, just so she could feel the breeze against her hair: she hugged the machine close to her body, feeling the exhilaration as she sped across the plains to the west of the Great North Road, the bike leaving no trail behind her.

She looked to the bike's dash to register her position on the positioning system inbuilt into the machine. She was already nearly there: the silhouettes of a few of the taller buildings were already visible just over the horizon. Of course, there were also the tell-tale signs of smoke, which indicated that the Vio had stopped killing and gone to razing. She bit her lip in frustration.

She couldn't help but envy the rangers in the other regions. At least some of them had teleportation.

* * *

The streets were charred and blackened: the stench of burnt metal and plastics hung in the air, shrouding the streets in a dark mist. Sounds of destruction could be heard in any direction from the main plaza, where a single creature stood. 

"_Come on out, Poké Rangers…"_

The creature leapt down from the roof upon which it had been observing the scene. It landed silently: gracefully, befitting its feline nature. Its blue-black fur shone despite the dark shroud, but with a light that was all its own. Electricity crackled from its charged fur, occasionally discharging into the ground with a crackle.

It was a cross between a Rentorer and a Roserade: petals wreathed its forepaws, while large roses grew from either flank: these flowers were not red or blue, but bright yellow. Its malevolent red eyes glowed as they fixed upon a single tree, yet undestroyed amidst the chaos. The yellow petals of the rose fanned out and began to rotate. Slowly at first, but gradually…

Blue sparks of electricity began to course through its body: as the petals picked up speed, its fur glowed with an incandescent blue, which intensified to a blinding white until, with a roar, the creature released the immense power.

The dust settled as the petals slowed to a stop. The blast had thrown the monster a few feet back. It had obliterated the tree entirely. It had also destroyed three buildings, six Vio, and a large amount of pavement.

"_That ought to get their attention…"_

The sounds of destruction were less apparent now. Getting to its feet, the creature tilted its head toward the sky and issued a single roar. A summons to the Vio to return, and a challenge to any ranger who dared approach.

"_And now for the main course…"_

With a strange sound that might have passed as a laugh, the creature stalked off towards the Rubidium Gym.

* * *

The single ranger crouched from above, waiting for the right moment to attack. The monster the ranger now knew as Luxrade approached, an army of Vio surrounding it.

_No matter… I'll just go for the head…_

The exact trajectory, the exact timing, everything had been set in place. That Luxrade would eventually come to the Gym was something the ranger had known would happen. And now…

"Now! Bow of Solitude!"

He jumped off the roof of the building, somersaulting over Luxrade and releasing three bolts of blue energy directly at it before landing, taking out two of the Vio with him as he did. The chances that Luxrade would have set up an electrical field negating energy attacks had been high, and he wasn't disappointed.

Brian barely had time to think any more as the remaining Vio set upon him; he parried two blades with his bow before countering with a well-aimed kick.

"_Interesting… the Blue Ranger, I see… where're your comrades?"_ Luxrade seemed amused rather than worried as it stood away from the fight.

"… Don't need them," he grunted, crashing his crossbow into a Vio's skull and simultaneously spin-kicking another, "I can definitely handle you on my own…" he kicked a third Vio in the chest, using the momentum to get away from the mob, "Blue Hail!"

He back-flipped as the rapid-firing icicles propelled him further back: he bent a knee and brought a hand to the ground to steady himself. The ice crystals skewered the four foremost Vio: in another moment they were ashes in the wind, and the icicles clattered to the ground, shattering.

"_Impressive…"_ Luxrade murmured, although he hardly seemed worried as the next group of Vio charged forward. Running forward, he brought his bow up to his shoulder again. It was only a moment later he realized that something was wrong.

"_Too late…!"_

Luxrade roared once more as the electricity it had been gathering throughout the conversation was finally released. A beam of blinding white energy rushed towards him, a silent blast which obliterated the few Vio in its way and ran right through him.

The agony of impact ripped through his body, white sparks arcing across his suit as the pain intensified. In the single second that seemed like eternity, he was helpless; trapped in the blast of the attack.

And then it was over: he fell to the ground, barely conscious, and aware of the numb sensation which was typical of paralysis. He cursed silently despite his fatigue. His suit had protected him from the worst of it, but no more. At least he'd taken down all the Vio with him…

"_Foolish human: do you really think the power of Water could defeat me, a monster born of Grass and Lightning?"_

He could just see, out of the corner of his fading vision, the creature that approached him now. Its roses were glowing once more; perhaps a final attack to finish him off? Perhaps…

The roses spun once more, releasing a stream of deadly petals. A moment later, a blast of fire had burnt them to ashes.

"Looks like I'm just in time!"

He started as he heard a voice he recognized: she sounded both angry and happy, a mixture he couldn't quite put his finger on. As he wondered where the voice came from, there was a strong rush of wind, and then a pair of purple-lined black boots appeared in front of him. He looked up to confirm what he already knew: the owner of the boots.

"Erynn Fyrre… you're late."

The ranger in question turned to look at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Thanks for taking care of my Gym, but I'll handle the rest from here…" stepping in front of him, she removed her morpher from the bike and faced Luxrade.

"_Interesting… so his girlfriend's come to help…"_ Luxrade taunted.

Erynn made a face. "You're the one who tried to destroy my city, aren't you? For insulting my dignity – no offense," she added to Brian, "_and_ destroying my favourite restaurant…" she set her helmet back over her head before running towards the creature.

"You'll pay! Claws of Loyalty!"

As she approached Luxrade, twin claws sprouted from her clenched fists: the flames left a blazing trail behind her.

"_Interesting…"_ the creature spoke: he seemed less sure of himself this time. "_Magical Leaf!"_

The yellow petals of the roses detached themselves, their beauty belying their razor-sharp edges. Erynn ducked as the first salvo approached, rolling under them only to realize that they were _magical_ for a reason. She winced as one of them caught her on the arm.

"Feh… I never liked roses anyway…" she turned to face the remainder of the petals as they approached, "Red Ember!"

She crossed her palms together and released a stream of flame that burnt the projectiles to a crisp. She barely had time to enjoy her small success before she was tackled in the back.

"Ugh…!" she gasped as she fell: Luxrade had taken advantage of her preoccupation to force her to the ground, leaning both its forepaws into her chest. "You sure _are_ persistent!"

The creature didn't respond: instead, the roses at its side began to turn again. Its forepaws began to course with electricity, causing her to wince in pain as the shocks coursed through her upper body. Her arms and legs were all pinned to the ground; she cursed under her breath at her predicament.

"_What…?"_

The monster staggered as it fell back: Erynn's chest heaved as she got to her feet, finally able to breathe again. She turned to her injured comrade to confirm what she already knew: taking advantage of the surprise crossbow-attack, she turned and ran towards the confused creature.

"Time to pay you back double!"

With a cry, she brought her fist back, bringing it down hard against the creature's vulnerable flank: as it jerked in pain and wheeled to face her, she scored two bloody scratches against its face before ducking under to avoid a swipe of its massive claws.

With a stifled cry of exhilaration, she clipped it under the chin before rolling to a side as it grew more frenzied in its attacks.

She dodged another clumsy blow easily as she cut across its shoulder, leaving a burn where she had buried the claw in it. Electricity coursed through her each time she landed an attack, but it discharged any power Luxrade might have had.

In one fluid move she brought a leg up over its head and executed a heel-drop, using the momentum to jump out of its reach. She paused as she watched the tired monster struggle and lose the battle against its fatigue, massaging her chest to try to relieve the pressure she still felt from its attack.

"You put up a good fight…" she conceded, "but just remember one thing.

"This is _my_ city: its people are my friends and its beauty is my memory. So while I'm here, you're never going to succeed…"

As she spoke the words with a furious intensity, she brought both palms across her chest: they glowed once more with an incandescent flame.

"Red Ember!"

And in a burst of fire and a roar of defeat, Luxrade was no more.

* * *

She fell to her knees as she powered down and demorphed. Looking over to her fellow ranger, she saw that he'd done the same.

"I guess we're even…" she ventured.

"You could say that."

There was silence. Though they were all on the same team, there seemed to be some indefinable rift between him and the rest of them.

"… Well. I guess we should be getting back; before the residents come out and spot us, anyway…"

She looked toward the sky, watching the black mist slowly spiraling upwards: she tried telling herself that everything was alright, that she'd successfully stopped what was happening, but

"You should know it's not going to be that simple."

She started at his statement, so unexpected in its delivery.

"… It's time to go."

His tone was final; it held no room for any more speech. Nodding slowly, Erynn entered the code into her wristgear, paused, and then hit the button.

White winds came to claim her: even as her sight became obscured by the blinding light, she saw Brian still lying prone on the ground. He wasn't moving an inch.

"Wait…! Aren't you coming…?"

By degrees, he got to his feet. With a wan look behind his glasses, he waved as the winds took her away. His whispered words were the last things she would hear before her return.

"… I'll find my own way back… somehow."

**A/N: Took me long enough…**

**Yeah; I finally took the time to finish a chapter I've been writing for… quite a few months. Kinda surprising, really. That I actually finished it, anyway.**

**That said, I'm not sure if my style hasn't slipped: I haven't written in quite a bit. I hope it's still somewhat up to par… at any rate, I probably will be pretty busy the next few weeks, so if I _do_ get another chapter up, you can compare something or the other then.**

**Ah well. Now that it's over, I've got to think about what's going to happen next. See ya'll later!**


	7. Revelation

**A/N: Mm… Luxrade was a character submitted by YF2: I just thought that using Luxio wasn't as cool as its evolution, so… yeah… he didn't really provide a description, so I did what I could. Also, Brian has a Water/Ice typing, so Luxrade was referring to his double weakness when it taunted him…**

**Ah what the hey. I'm starting the chapter now, and I hope I'll be able to finish this sooner than four months. Wish me luck, and enjoy!**

**Chapter 6 - Revelation**

The whirlwind of light dissipated; quiet rushed in to fill the air: the only sound which remained was the gentle humming of the reconstitutor, and her own laboured breathing. With a single hand, she unzipped her jacket and flung it to the ground.

She collapsed to the ground once more, leaning against the capsule for support. She heard a gentle whirr as the Omnibike was withdrawn into the ground, but she realized that she hardly cared at all.

As she remembered the damage that had been wrought upon Rubidium, her fists involuntarily clenched: remembering the numerous injuries wrought not only among her comrades, but among innocent civilians only served to compound her anger. It was a feeling she hadn't thought she'd feel… but it was her own, she knew.

"… Damn it…! There's no end to this senseless violence!"

Her eyes blazing, she looked up towards the ceiling, feeling the scars of past wounds tearing anew. Three years had not been enough time for her to forget completely.

"I thought we'd finished this back then…" she continued, softly now. A soft smile softened her features as she shook her head slowly. "I guess I was too naïve."

Silence. The Guardian gave no response. The capsule against which she lay continued humming as she thought back a little further.

"When I first agreed to becoming a Poké Ranger, it wasn't so I could keep on fighting," she whispered, examining the morpher she held in her hands, "it was to _stop_ the strife…"

"… Not perpetuate it."

She finished speaking, her lips slightly parted as she breathed. Slowly she brought her knees up against her chest and hugged them tightly. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, wanting to sleep but not knowing how. Like the pin which shattered the proverbial silence, her shades fell to the ground beside her, issuing a deafening

_clack_

in the silence that was.

"How long more…?" she asked of the air. She spoke to her knees, but she knew she had been heard.

And yet there was silence.

She rose and turned to Ash, who still lay, unconscious, in the capsule. The wound he'd sustained was fading, now: his regular breathing showed that he was close to recovery.

_Another few hours, at most… wait just a little longer…_

She knew she could have gone at that point: after all, she could return to the Chamber of Eternity at any time. She could've gone back to Rubidium whenever she wanted. She didn't have to wait.

And yet she had to stay. It wasn't that she wanted to be in that cave: she was alone with a disembodied voice for company; a voice that knew nothing of how she felt – _No_, she corrected herself, _she knows too much_. And yet, she remained. Why? To wait.

Now she reached a hand down to touch him, if only to feel life for a second. Her hand trembled as it approached the blue ripples which shimmered over his body. She closed her eyes, hesitating a moment: searching; waiting. Words came to her: she didn't know if it was from a past memory or a present dream, but…

_Don't do it… you'll disrupt the flow…! Don't do it… you'll… the flow…! Don't do… you'll… flow…! Don't… flow…!_

_Don't… don't… don't…_

_I'm tired of waiting!_

Her mind gave a final cry of release as she pushed both her bare arms into the energy field: she gasped as waves of intense cold and heat ripped through her frame, causing her to collapse atop him as the feeling left her legs. Her shades fell to the ground, taking an eternity to fall to the ground with a clatter as loud as a thunderclap. She barely had time to marvel at how beautiful the lights were before she passed out.

Where her bare skin touched his, ripples of white flowed outward: they expanded outwards, enveloping their bodies in a lattice of light.

_By Jirachi… this is…!_

The way Erynn had been affected had been an entirely unprecedented situation, even to a Guardian, yet what was happening now was just as, if not more surprising.

She had known that letting Erynn use her powers would destroy any sense of emotional stability she had gained before. She had known that letting her access her full potential would unlock dangerous memories which had lain dormant. She had known, then, that the girl would have these impulses.

And yet, she hadn't known…

The blue ripples of light grew in frequency and intensity: the two unconscious rangers were soon bathed in a light of gold and white so intense that the entire chamber itself lit up in a blaze of colour: red followed orange followed yellow followed gold followed white in an unending loop: the machine groaned as it reached its limit.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. There was a louder groan this time, and the metal capsule buckled. With a loud crack which echoed through the cavernous… cavern, the light died away, leaving two unconscious teenagers in a single metal capsule. Despite the Guardian's non-corporeal state, it took her a moment to get accustomed to the apparent lack of light.

Both of them were breathing – that was a mercy. The machine had incinerated itself: the metal casing of the capsule was burnt black to a crisp.

_She should never have tried to do anything…_

Amazingly though, apart from the fact that they were both unconscious, they both looked entirely alright. The wounds Ash had sustained were entirely gone, as were the cuts and bruises Luxrade had inflicted upon Erynn.

The Guardian waited. There was nothing she could do but hope for the best: the unpredictability of humans she could do nothing about; she understood emotions, but knew better than to interfere with them.

… _One day, it may be their strongest weapon…_

The air shimmered for an instant, and then the broken apparatus that had once been the reconstitutor was withdrawn, leaving the two unconscious rangers lying on the ground.

Movement. An imperceptible flicker, and yet there it was. Something was moving; something was alive; something was conscious.

His eyes slowly opened. Instinctively, he brushed away the purple hair which had fallen onto his face.

"What happened…?"

Awkwardly he attempted to lift her off himself, cradling her inert body and checking her breathing before looking around the room again. Ditto lay asleep in a corner. No other Pokémon or human was present.

"What happened after our fight with Fiztor…? Didn't I manage to shield her –"

_You've been unconscious for almost a day, Ash Vortnes._

The Voice cut in, silencing him immediately.

_Erynn's current condition is not a result of Fiztor, _or_ of any other external force. Considering your rate of recovery, it is possible that she will awake shortly._

Confused, Ash looked about the room, but saw no clue which could supply him the truth.

"You're not telling me what happened…" he said slowly. He considered the girl in his arms: her bare arms were cold to the touch; her body generated but a faint heat indicative of life.

_She isn't as calm as she'd like to believe she is…_

Ash remained silent: an invitation for the Voice to say more.

_A reconstitutor developed for human use… the same way you humans heal Pokémon… it was never meant to contain more than one life signature at a time, because while it amplifies life energy, two conflicting signatures would disrupt: interrupt; possibly do irreparable damage to the soul…_

As she spoke, Ash unconsciously held the unconscious girl tighter.

_And yet…_

_There was a reason why the two of you were the simplest to locate…_

The Voice paused; for a second, it seemed like she wasn't going to continue.

"The reason…?"

… _Your life energies… they—_

A white flash interrupted their conversation. Ash looked up, bewildered, as the computer screens flickered on: an image of a town at night was projected upon the far wall, covered in a thin blanket of snow despite the few fires which had sprung up about it.

_Three attacks in two days… our enemy knows more than I do._

"I recognize that place… it's Platine…" Ash rose to get a better look at the picture, only to stop when he realized he was still holding Erynn.

"… It's not too far from here…"

Ash gave an involuntary start as he felt her breath against his cheek, almost dropping her as he did. The headstrong girl seemed a little indignant as she awkwardly got off him, although she softened as he returned her jacket to her. Despite her fatigue, she seemed relieved at the sight of Ash back to his old self.

"Erynn," he spoke, his elation at her awakening tempered with a burning need to know, "what happened while I was unconscious?"

As she donned her shades, she seemed more enigmatic than ever. Her answer was a faint shake of the head, before turning to the screen once more.

"We've got to get there, fast."

Even as she spoke, the Omnibike reappeared through a panel in the ground. Ash barely had time to notice it before Erynn had rushed towards it: before he could say a word, she'd morphed and ridden off on the machine.

"What…?" His bewilderment at her sudden change in temperament was one not unjustified.

_She… _the Voice trailed off before trying a different approach. _Follow her in this…_

Before the Voice had finished speaking, a second Omnibike had appeared: with a nod of his head, Ash approached the machine, choosing not to wake the slumbering Ditto. In a single motion, he'd mounted the cycle and slotted his SP Ball into the available opening.

The morpher glowed white and green in turn, as the surface of the bike began to spread with a glossy white hue: green streaks swirled across its surface, forming raised ridges in ornate patterns about its dash and about its base. The handlebar began to warp, lengthening and changing colours to become an exact replica of a Ralts' horn.

_One more thing…_

A Pokégear and SP Ball appeared in a storage compartment under his left leg.

"This is for…" Ash trailed off and nodded: he understood. He looked about the chamber one more time before remembering Erynn.

"I'll be back," he promised no one in particular, and then he was gone.

* * *

The cold, biting wind of the night mattered little to her: even if her affinity to fire didn't protect her from the cold, her insulated suit would. Behind the tinted visor of her helmet, her eyes glowed with a burning determination. 

_Platine…_

It was a smaller, lesser-known town just north of Silv, situated just a short distance off the Great North Road, where they had once stayed on their way out of the frozen plains which sprawled across the mainland's southern peninsula.

She leant forward, bringing her Omnibike close to the ground as she urged it on.

"Erynn!"

The familiar voice caused her to instinctively slow down, but only for a second: she barely glanced back as her machine sped up again: Ash urged his own cycle onward as he struggled to catch up. The cold winds cut at his face, leaving him shivering despite his jacket. Silv's nights were inhospitable to all but the most hardened of travelers.

"Wait…!"

The wind snatched the word out of his mouth, but even then his bike began to narrow the distance between them. Whether it was the machine that had responded to his wishes or Erynn who had deliberately slowed down, the two machines drew level with each other, giving Ash time to speak.

"What happened back there?"

Erynn turned to look at him: even behind her helmet, he could feel her intense gaze upon him. It was hard to maintain eye contact when he couldn't see her eyes, though: he turned away, waiting for her answer.

"Have you ever thought about it…?"

Platine was in sight now: it had taken them just a few minutes, but time seemed to be transient in the eternity that passed between her words. The night sky glowed eerily as small flames flickered through the darkness.

"Fighting violence with violence… doesn't solve anything, does it?"

Both bikes sped into the town, neither rider speaking.

* * *

"_What's going on?"_

"_What the hell is that?!"_

"_Get away from me!"_

"_Help!"_

The voices rose in a crescendo as the Vio approached: trainers had their Pokémon out in a circle around the other frightened townsfolk as the creatures approached. The Vio were—improbably, it seemed—equipped with a host of varied weapons: their appendages now not only had blades, but small blasters and spiked maces.

The few Pokémon which stood to defend the town were hardly equipped to deal with lasers or the vicious slashes of a mindless automaton: Pokémon battles were, for the most part, at least somewhat friendly. This, on the other hand…

A Plusle cried out as it was struck by a vicious blade, rending a gaping wound across its arm; the pure white snow which blanketed the ground turned a hue of crimson as the injured Pokémon fell to the ground, to be hurriedly recalled by its trainer.

A few of the more experienced trainers had Graveler and Lairon out: these stood against the attacks of the Vio better; two of the creatures, one armed with twin blades and another a sledgehammer, rushed against a Graveler. Both were taken out in a single Rollout attack.

The air was filled with the sounds of battle as each Pokémon engaged with a few Vio; as the defenders grew weary or injured, they were recalled, but the supply of Vio seemed to be endless. Slowly but surely, the townsfolk were edged into a corner; now there were just a group of five Pokémon standing between the townsfolk and annihilation. Two Lairons, a Dugtrio, a Graveler and a Skarmory.

And even these were tiring: the Lairons' shells were impervious to the blades, but susceptible to the lasers, as was the Skarmory. Neither the Graveler nor the Dugtrio could do much more than block the attacks at this point.

And then came nemesis.

The creature signaled its arrival with an unearthly wail: its visage was striking, to say the least. Its body was sleek; black with a pattern of blue stripes across its lithe body; the long claws which sprang from the end of each hand glowed with an icy aura. Its head, however, was a different matter.

It was a mismatch which somehow fit: the body of a gigantic Sneasel and a head (if one could call it that) of a Glalie. The shape of the head was still somewhat retained, so, if anything, it appeared to be wearing a mask. Its eyes glowed with a blue light unlike anything a Sneasel might have, and despite its large size—it towered over the trainers whom it now approached—it moved with a grace and deliberation that was almost frightening.

The Vio fell back as the creature approached: Pokémon and townsfolk both stood stock still, transfixed by the eerie sight. Razor-sharp claws glinted in the moonlight. The creature stopped just a few metres from the closest Graveler: the Rock-type cringed, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

A split second later, a beam of freezing cold issued from the creature's eyes: despite its intangible nature, it hit the Graveler with enough power to send it flying back, crashing into the ground. Wordlessly, the monster turned; he didn't bother waiting for the dust to clear, knowing well the result.

"_Pathetic Pokémon: you know nothing of _true_ cold."_

A flash of red light, and the Pokémon had been recalled. The deep crater left in the ground, coated with a fine sheen of ice, was testament to the monster's ability.

"_I… am Frozone. And I shall be your ultimate destruction."_

A swift slash with its claws, and a Lairon had been knocked to a side, its metal coat severely dented. A second slash, and…

"Not now you don't!"

Frozone's eyes seemed to widen as its slash was stopped mid-swing. Furious, it watched as the remainder of the Pokémon were recalled, and turned its baleful gaze upon the perpetrator.

It was the trainer whose Graveler it had earlier injured: the boy had manoeuvred around it, and now held fast a length of chain about its left arm. With a roar, Frozone turned, slashing down upon the chain with its other claw: the trainer cursed as he released the chain and ducked to avoid the shrapnel. With the creature now on his tail, he ran, bringing a hand down to his belt and releasing two other Pokémon.

The first, a purple, armoured creature, roared as he was released, running in large, stomping strides alongside his trainer.

"Nidoking! Cover me."

As the Pokémon turned to face Frozone grimly, the trainer turned to the second Pokémon: an Elekid. Words, unspoken, passed between them, and despite the unprecedented situation, both knew what to do.

Still running, they made an about-turn, running towards Frozone this time: the creature, still a head taller than the Nidoking, was repeatedly slashing its claws against the sturdy Protect he had erected: the Pokémon was tiring quickly, though, while Frozone showed no signs of letting up.

Taking advantage of Frozone's momentary distraction, trainer and Pokémon each slammed their fists into the creature: sparks flew from Elekid's attack as the electricity was discharged: Frozone staggered a few steps back as the electricity coursing through its system subsided.

The trainer smirked despite the pain he felt in his right hand: the creature was more solid than he'd thought. Frozone's eyes glowed as it responded coldly.

"_Damn you… you'd think you humans would value your life more than this…!"_

Its soft murmur became a roar as it spun, flailing its claws out around it: an icy blast issued from it, sending the trainer _and_ his two Pokémon flying.

Cursing, he rose from the ground, recalling his unconscious Nidoking. He struggled to get to his feet, but then froze when he noticed an over-sized claw just under his chin.

"_It was unwise to challenge me, boy—"_

Yet, before Frozone could finish its sentence, it was hit aside yet again: the trainer turned and realized that the other trainers had recovered sufficiently to attack as well: another Rock Blast sailed over him, just missing the creature.

The respite was short-lived, though: as Frozone stood, its eyes glowed a white colour: as though from nowhere, Vio began spawning about the town. The other trainers were hard-pressed to keep the Vio off them with the few Pokémon they had left.

"_Shouldn't have ignored them for so long…"_

Frozone almost smiled as it turned back to the trainer. Both he and his Elekid took an unconscious step back, flinching as the creature approached them.

"_Now, let me teach you a lesson you won't soon forget."_

* * *

The two Omnibikes rode into utter chaos: the Vio were everywhere. Ash made a sharp turn to his left as he recalled the morph call. 

"Call of the Psychic! White Elem Ranger!"

His Omnibike glowed white as the patterns on the bike spread over his skin: he felt his mind connect with that of Gardevoir's as his transformation completed itself, giving him just enough time to execute another sharp turn just before he would have crashed into a building. The Vio he had unconsciously slammed his Omnibike into, though, _did_ crash into said building.

Meanwhile, Erynn had torn into the Vio with a vengeance: releasing a Red Ember into the frenzied bunch, she banked to a side to avoid the three energy beams which had threatened to hit her: gunning her Omnibike into the crowd, she took her hands off the handle, trusting her legs to secure her to the bike.

"Red Growlithe Ranger! Claws of Loyalty!"

As flaming claws formed around her fist, she manipulated the controls of the Omnibike so that it began to spew bolts of fire ahead of it, as it had done before: grimly, she literally clawed her way through the Vio: a blade sliced at her arm, but her suit held. Any Vio that got too close was torched, clawed, and turned to ash.

Finishing her circuit, she looked around, spotting a Vio staring directly at her a moment too late. Before she could react, a flash of white light narrowly missed her, searing a small gash in the relatively unarmoured lower torso of her suit. She did a double take as Ash slammed into the Vio with his own bike, the psychic field it generated sending the creature flying.

"The Vio… they're not just using blades now…?"

Even as she spoke, more Vio rushed towards them, equipped with a plethora of weapons: some were large; others, small, but they all looked undeniably deadly.

"… Random toys for the deranged mind," Ash breathed, "Diabird's somewhere around here. You've got to get rid of him."

Erynn paused, looking at him a moment. "And you?"

"… There's a fourth ranger here." It was all he needed to say.

Erynn nodded, her expression under her visor blank: they had to defeat the diabolic Delibird before they could get anywhere.

"Pokégear, Synchronize!"

The trainer grimaced in pain as he struggled to get to his feet: as Frozone approached for another sortie, it was all he could do to throw himself out of the way; a claw raked the ground where he'd been a moment ago, creating another large groove crusted with ice crystals.

"… Ugh…"

He turned to his Elekid, who had narrowly avoided the blow as well. They couldn't stand much more of this.

"_Try one more of _these_ for size…"_

Frozone's eyes glowed again as it drew its claws back. With a roar, it released another wave of frost. This one wouldn't miss…

"_What…?!"_

An instant before the claw would have hit, an orb of green surrounded the trainer. Improbably, he had survived.

_But… how…?_

But then he saw the Pokémon in front of him.

"Elekid…"

Despite his fatigue, he'd managed to stand and erect a Protect about the two of them. Frozone hammered mercilessly at the weak defense, and it was only a matter of time until it broke…

But that was enough. Elekid released the shield just before he would have collapsed: Frozone hammered on the now-non-existent shield, stumbling as the both trainer and Pokémon took a step back, trying to avoid a destruction that still seemed inevitable.

"Hey, ugly!"

The thirty-odd Vio turned to stare at the boy who'd shouted the insult. As Ash's Omnibike skidded to a halt, he turned to them, exasperated.

"Not you lot; I was talking to that big monster-thing!"

But they didn't have a chance to reply. The trainers had wiped them out while they were distracted.

… _Looks like Erynn's done her job, too…_

"… Right…" He turned back to Frozone, who now stared angrily at him. And it's never a good thing when the creature staring can fire Ice Beams from its eyes.

He cursed under his breath as he activated the Omnibike's shield: the beam froze it over, forming a dome of solid ice which subsequently fell to the ground as the shield was deactivated.

Ash grunted as the jolt of impact knocked him to the ground: snatching his morpher from the Omnibike, he ran up to join the trainer he'd just saved.

"… You…"

A flash of yellow.

… _What…?_

The trainer turned to stare at him. For a second, it seemed like time stood still. It was a very short second.

"You're the one I've come to find…" Ash breathed, "Shield of Empathy!"

Without taking his eyes off the trainer, he raised his arm as the shield of white materialized: Frozone's claws glanced off its smooth surface. Nonetheless, Ash winced as he struggled to hold his ground.

"… I don't understand what you're saying at all…"

He turned to the trainer in an attempt to explain, but he was interrupted by another voice.

"_And he doesn't need to understand it, either…!"_

The impact was crushing: monster and ranger were both thrown off their feet. But Frozone recovered from its reckless attack first: and the trainer was wide open.

"_It's time to end this…"_

The creature seemed to howl as its eyes and claws glowed brighter than ever before: with an unearthly shriek, it leapt forward at the unprotected trainer and his severely weakened Elekid.

"_Blizzard Night Slash!"_

"… White Psybeam…!"

The white ranger cursed as he felt the intense cold wrap its tendrils about his left arm: he hadn't managed to fully block the attack. The attack that had issued from his shield, though, ensured that the creature hadn't gone unharmed.

… _Damn it._

He watched as ice crystals began to form around his arm: it was soon encased in painfully chilling ice.

"Get to my bike; hurry…" he spoke urgently, watching the creature even as it got to its feet once more.

"_Psychic can't resist the combined powers of Ice _and_ Darkness…"_

"White Psybeam!"

Tearing his eyes away from the white ranger's struggle, the trainer nodded, finding the strange gray ball and Pokégear just a short distance from where the fallen bike lay.

"What am I supposed to do with these?"

But Ash was fighting a losing battle of his own: with his left arm useless, he could do little but feebly fend off Frozone's attacks: he fancied he saw a sneer on its features.

… _Or it could just be _that_ ugly._

"Just… _ugh_… capture the… _ow_… Pokémon you'd… _give it up already_… trust the most…!"

The trainer's eyes flickered for a moment: he turned to look at his exhausted Elekid, as though struck by a sudden thought.

With an effort, he raised his left arm to block Frozone's next attack: as he'd expected, the freezing cold did little against his already-frozen arm.

"Just give it up…" he groaned as the ice around his arm shattered: with renewed strength he forced his way forward.

Yet his efforts did little to stop the creature: its resistance to his Psychic attacks bordered on immunity.

… _I'm going to need some help here…_

"… Red Ember!"

The attack struck Frozone from behind, knocking the monster back as it howled, surprised by the sudden attack.

"… It's about time," he grumbled.

"Sorry," she spoke as she got off her own Omnibike, her tone emotionless, "there were… traffic problems."

The remains of a Vio fell from the front of her bike before vanishing.

…

Her emotions seemed a whirlwind about her: they were too strong for him to even try approach. Despite his need to know just why she felt how she did, there were other problems he had to handle.

"… _Now it's two on one…? That's not fair, is it?"_

The creature's eyes gleamed evilly as it rose from the ground: surprisingly, the Fire attack had done little to hurt it despite its supposed efficacy.

"… Call of the Electric…"

Ash grinned beneath his helmet as he recognized the glow of yellow from behind them.

_Three against one._

"Checkmate."

* * *

He felt the electricity course through his body: unexpectedly, it didn't hurt. The feeling was one of strength: despite his previous injuries and fatigue, he realized that he now felt revitalized. 

The yellow aura spread across his arms, clothing them in yellow armour, striped black: He flexed his arms, feeling a strength that was not merely his own.

… _Elekid._

The armour spread down his torso, crackling with energy as sparks arced across his frame: he, looked up as his transformation completed itself: the visor slide down to cover his eyes as he turned to Frozone with renewed strength.

"… This power is…"

And then another voice came to him: his eyes narrowed as he began to run toward the creature.

"… Yellow Elekid Ranger…

"… Chains of Courage!"

He jumped over the two other rangers as he felt the weight of the weapon in his hands: speeding towards the creature, he held the length of chain up ahead of himself.

… _Now!_

He parried the Frozone's claws, channeling a jolt of powerful electricity into it. Wearing a satisfied smirk beneath his helmet, he leapt back as the creature fell to the ground once more: its pain now was obvious.

"I think it's time we finish this…"

Erynn's voice was final: Ash winced as he felt the emotion—or lack of it—she channeled.

"… Right," he whispered softly.

Frozone got to its feet, unsteady: it looked around at the three rangers with no small amount of fear on its face. Yet…

"… You're not telling us everything."

Frozone turned to face Ash at this remark.

"_Feh… I never meant to tell you _anything_. Kill me, then, you who rely on numbers than _true_ strength…"_

The new yellow ranger stepped forward.

"And the dozens of creatures you summoned to our town don't count because…?"

"… He's toying with us: let's just destroy him, now."

Ash flinched again: but her voice seemed to lack resolve now.

"… _Have you never wondered why your comrade isn't—"_

"—Red Ember!"

Erynn's claws glowed a deep crimson as she released the attack: but this time she was relentless: when her barrage of fire ended, an echoing laugh was all that remained of the creature. Almost immediately, the yellow ranger darted forward.

"… What was that about? He hadn't answered the question yet…!"

She turned her head to look at him. Despite the helmets they had on, he could tell she was deadly serious.

"… I don't want to know."

At the same time, a voice intruded on their thoughts.

_Return to the Chamber now. It's important. I'll take care of the memories of those who've seen Tristan tonight…_

"… Your name's Tristan?" A nod confirmed it.

_But this is more urgent than that…_

Ash nodded slowly.

"Let's go, then."

Ash activated the teleportation device on his Pokégear, as did Tristan.

Erynn looked back at the burnt buildings, and then to her own wounds. Then she, too, disappeared.

* * *

The three rangers emerged from the light, each of them with mixed feelings and expectations. The sight which greeted them, however, was like nothing they'd expected. 

"What happened here?" Ash whispered under his breath as he took a step forward: tentatively, they stepped over the fallen debris which seemed to have been shaken loose from the roof of the chamber: machine parts were strewn over the ground, and the shelves which had once held the morphers…

_They're gone. _

All three of them demorphed: Erynn ran towards the empty shelves, hoping against hope that

"They're just on the ground somewhere… or maybe they're—"

_They're gone. As I had feared they would._

"What do you mean, you 'feared they would'? You _knew_ that this would—"

_No…_ her voice was strong, although it was tainted with a vague sense of _fear_.

_I'd known it would have happened sooner or later: _when_ was beyond me. He would do it before you became strong enough… and while I am alone, I am no match for his darkness._

Tristan stepped forward to examine the shelves.

"… What went missing?"

"Damn it!"

As though his words had triggered a reaction within her, the purple-haired girl ran out of the chamber. Groaning, Ash turned to the other boy.

"I wish we could have met face-to-face under more pleasant circumstances. My name's—"

But he cut him off.

"Ash Vortnes, I know. Poster boy for the league and all."

Ash grimaced. He hadn't wanted to be known for _that_; not that it could have been helped.

"… And the girl who just ran out on us is Erynn Fyrre.

"The things that have been taken are morphers like the one you received. We had six of them. We now have… four."

… _We had seven. He managed to take three of them before I—_

Ash's eyes widened as he interrupted.

"Wait a sec—you saw…?"

… _The seventh ball was one I'd only meant to keep for a better time… but even _that_ is gone now. And—_

"You're not answering the question."

"Ash…"

Tristan seemed to be trying to placate him. Reluctantly, he backed down for a moment.

… _I recognize the implications of this far more than you do… but at the same time, there is no use in arguing any of this. I cannot tell you who stole the item._

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but instead allowed the Guardian to continue.

_But I can assure you that the Tentor Fog does not have all three of the balls: the Psywave I was able to manifest was enough to teleport at least one other ball to a random location about this region._

Ash closed his eyes at the answer-that-was-not. The Guardian's presence seemed to fade: the conversation was over for now.

A display popped up. Possible locations for the ball were spread over a holographic map of the Elem region. Ash read the map with more than a little impatience. There were few things concrete about what had happened at all. Why hadn't the Guardian been willing to divulge any information? Why—

"So we just have to find the ball, and we won't be that far behind, will we?"

He looked up as Tristan spoke that last. Subdued, he turned to face him.

"… It's not that simple… the Tentor Fog probably has one or two of the balls, anyway."

Ash winced as the memories sprung, unbidden, to his mind.

"… They're already a threat enough without rediscovering the technology which could have earned them the world… so long ago."

They fell silent as each of them remembered the dark days which had preceded the final battle in Silvergold.

"Crime… strife… it's always the same." Tristan acknowledged slowly, "but at least now we can pay them back in kind."

Ash stared incredulously at the boy, admiring his courage, and at the same time, wondering about how he could think that way.

"How can you accept this so easily…? The fighting is perennial: it's a cycle that's gone on for ever.

"It can't—won't work out!"

Tristan turned to him, and for a moment, he seemed more subdued; darker.

"All my life, I've had to fight for the things I believed in: a few years ago during the time of the incident—the time of the lawless—I saved my sister from a gang of thugs.

"I never thought of it any other way: if I didn't try to save her, she'd have died; if I _did_ try to save her, at least there'd be a chance. It was as simple as that."

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but a look from Tristan silenced him.

"… She didn't survive.

"I was very nearly killed, myself; we managed to get away from the thugs and to a hospital, but the injuries we'd suffered…"

His voice trailed off. And all of a sudden, Ash knew of nothing he could say.

"And yet," he continued abruptly, "I don't regret it. There wasn't another way. There never will be."

Ash could see that he meant it; the grief was an old scar still visible, but his determination and courage were beacons clearly shining. For a moment, it reminded him of something: something he'd thought he had learnt a long time ago.

"Fight for what you believe in, for the hope that it'll come out right in the end."

And now he was learning it all over again.

* * *

He found her contemplating the soft snow which never seemed to cease falling in Silv. Her shades glinted in the morning light of the sunrise which had finally come. He approached her silently, not knowing what to say, but knowing that he had to say it. 

"—Ash…"

She whirled about to face him, her hair just barely brushing the tip of his nose.

"Erynn," his voice was unsteady – he never knew what to do in situations like these, "you can't continue doing this."

The girl who had been on the verge of speaking stopped: her mouth formed a silent o as he continued.

"Back in Platine… I could feel your pain. It was…" he paused. He had little idea how else to describe it but 'painful', and that was just stupid.

"… I know what it feels like, now. I feel it too. It's true that this fighting seems pointless, but then there's meaning not in the fighting we do, but the _ideals_ we strive to protect."

He spoke the words with feeling, but at the same moment, he realized that most of the things he said he only half-understood himself.

"My point is…" he tried to continue, "it doesn't matter _what_ happens to us now: we'll get through it." He paused a moment, remembering Tristan's words, "And if we have to fight… _when_ we have to fight… we will.

"To protect the things we hold dear; for the hope of a day when this fighting will truly cease. Because we _are_ who we are…" he looked towards the rising sun as he spoke the words, aware that her eyes were resting uncomfortably on him.

"… We bear this burden so the world doesn't have to."

As he spoke these last words, he turned away from her. Belatedly, she opened her mouth to speak, but then realized she didn't know what to say. She realized, now, that he'd known her pain all along; had known it since he'd met Ralts for the first time.

"Ash…" she began, but then he turned and cut her off. His morose look had melted away: she barely had time to register the smile on his face before he spoke.

"Come on; we've got a lot of work ahead of us, and I'll bet you five-to-one Ditto's sleeping again!"

He turned back and ran towards the cave, and despite herself, Erynn smiled.

**T E N T O R F O G**

**F O R G O T T E N**

Its hand caressed the ball in front of him. It seemed almost like a plaything, but at the moment it meant more than anything else in the world.

"… _Only one of them…? Pray explain."_

The shadow's eyes glowed red in the darkness which shrouded it. The lone figure which knelt before it flinched at the dissatisfaction beneath its layered words.

"… There was an accident.

"The Guardian; she tried to stop me."

He paused, unsure of how to continue. But there was no need.

"… _They were… scattered, then."_

The being's voice was thoughtful; for a moment, it was almost free of malevolence.

"… _We have one from none before. I have little reason to fault you… for now."_

He kept his head bowed, not daring to look at the visage of darkness before him.

"… _Go. You have served me well for now."_

Relieved, he stepped away from the desk which held the one who called himself Forgotten. As he walked out of the room, he wondered when he would be free of the darkness which had never truly left him.

**A/N: Right. From the notes, it says I started this chapter two months and ten days ago. That's a hell of a long time for one update. Most of it was already written before, but I hadn't got around to finishing it up until today.**

**Hope it's mostly understandable, because I'm afraid some parts might sound like I'm on crack or something. But no; it's just Japanese music.**

**That said, I guess this is a good time to promote the forums that I've set up for the Poké Rangers series in general: it's called 'Poké Rangers: Online!', and it's accessible from the website I've got as my homepage on my profile.**

**I know there're a lot of questions to be raised and everything (and possibly a few more conspiracy theories to be raised…), so I'll be glad if you might leave a review (actually, I'm not too sure about the standard of this chapter, so I'd be glad if you'd remind me if I killed anything, too.) Hopefully, the next chapter won't take anywhere near as long to come out, although this **_**is**_** my longest chapter to date at just over six-and-a-half thousand words… so! Until next time!**


	8. Rising Action

Three days.

It had been three days since the morphers had been stolen, and nothing had happened.

He sighed, closing his eyes, as he lay back against the couch in his living room. The phone he had held to his ear a moment ago now lay on the floor, its presence a reminder of the perversion of the week's events.

There had been reports, of course. News spread fast, and already there were rumours spreading of a new vigilante faction. Fears of a repeat of the events of three years ago were raised, and the Organization was hard pressed to bring itself to release a statement. The next League tournament would have been in a year, and yet the tumultuous events which seemed to plague it had not ceased.

He smiled despite himself. And then there was the greatest irony. That he would be _required_ by the Organization to make a public statement as the reigning Champion, denouncing the vigilantes… and assuring the populace that the Organization was more than capable of protecting them.

… _They never learn, do they…?_

It was to be done the next day: an emergency, they'd called it. He found it singularly amusing that they would make such empty claims without having done anything. That a Nurse Joy with a machinegun had done more than they'd ever had was a point he hadn't bothered raising.

The conversation between the Organization correspondent and himself had been singularly short. A few sentences, a short, deliberated agreement, and that had been it. He almost wished it had been longer.

As he rose from the couch with a weary sigh, he heard the soft beep which preceded any electronic mail received.

He brought his arm up, tapping the Pokégear as he activated the holographic screen. His parents had replied to his message, after all.

_Dearest Ash,_

_Your father and I appreciate your asking us to move over to Silvergold, but while it _would_ be safer for us to stay with you, we can't help but want to remain in Palladium: everyone we know; everything we have is here. There may be monsters on the loose now, but we've lived through one dark age, and we'll survive this other._

_Anyways, how's life where _you_ are? I'm sure they're keeping you on your toes…_

He smiled a little as he recalled his uneventful day.

… _what with all the __hubbub about those vigilantes and the reports and rumours spreading around. We hope that you're doing well. Keep us informed: if there's anything we can do, don't hesitate to ask!_

He sighed as he shut the holographic screen off. If he tried, he could almost _believe_ that the reality his parents had painted was real: that he was no more ordinary than everyone else trying to escape the threat.

But there was no place for make-believe in the world he knew. He weighed the green-and-white ball in his hands, pensive for a moment as he regarded the Gardevoir within it. He had never felt a closer bond with the Psychic-type as he did now: despite himself, he couldn't help but _know_ that the link they shared was now more than just telekinetic.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small yawn: he turned as he noticed that Ditto had woken up at last.

… _It's been nearly eighteen hours…_

"Seriously, Ditto… you're sleeping as much as an Abra, now…"

The pink blob crawled over to him, leaving messy streaks all over the ground.

"… Aww, come on… pick yourself up…"

He watched as Ditto lazily motioned to the trail behind it. Almost immediately, the pink slime it'd left behind hurriedly caught up.

"Great… at least there isn't a mess anymore," he sighed. He turned to the kitchen as he called to Ditto over his shoulder. "You hungry?"

Not waiting for the obvious reply, he turned to the refrigerator, picking out a few choice meats and drinks. One of the perks of being the Champion was the fact that practically everything was provided for you: the facility of an energy-to-matter interface ensured that his fridge was always well-stocked with food, despite the fact that this technology was usually limited to the computers in Pokémon Centers.

He tossed Ditto a can of soda (Oran-flavoured) before turning to the microwave oven. As he set the timer, he heard a knock on the door.

"… Visitors, huh."

He put the meat in the oven, turning towards the entrance as he heard the automatic oven-door whirr shut behind him. Ditto had stopped drinking its cola, and was staring curiously at the door.

"We never have visitors…"

He flipped a switch beside the door, bringing the intercom display panel up.

"… No… it can't be…"

He stepped away from the door as another series of knocks issued from it, more insistent this time.

"Why would—"

He watched the screen as the girl knocked again: she seemed to have grown taller, but there was no mistaking the red hair which was tied neatly in a bun, or the Manectric which pawed at the door beside her.

"… It's Michelle."

**A/N: So! If you were wondering about the lack of any Author's Notes and stuffage, that's because it's here! Chapter 7, this one is… if you ignore the prologue, anyway. To be honest, I haven't got a clear idea which way I want this fanfiction to head: both dark and light are equally appealing to me. I've only the faintest inkling of what I want from this chapter, but hopefully, that'll be enough to lead me through its writing. I hope enough of you've read Pokémon Go! and know who this new arrival is… but then again, it'll be fun even if you didn't. In a throwback to Pokémon Go!, though, let's see how long this'll take me to finish. At any rate, Chapter 7, begin!**

**Chapter 7 - Rising Action**

She was waiting in the sitting room when he returned (after having dumped the meats into Ditto to destroy the evidence). His happy surprise at her unexpected visit was dampened somewhat when he remembered that she was a strict vegetarian, and a pessimist in every sense of the word.

"We were wondering if maybe you were dead."

He flinched. He wasn't sure if she meant it as a joke or not.

"After all, with all the reports that've been coming on about monsters… we figured you'd be the first target." She scratched her Manectric, Leon, behind his ears absent-mindedly.

… _Don't make it sound like even your Pokémon think I'm dead…_

She made a face at his lack of a reaction to her words.

"Oh, come on… I didn't come here to talk to a wall…"

She'd just removed a sketchbook from the sling bag she carried

"Why _did_ you come?" Immediately, he realized how rude it'd sounded. But she didn't seem to mind.

As though she'd been expecting his question (and she probably had), the girl set her sketchbook down on the table, as though in preparation to say something important.

"Well…

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She gave an uncharacteristically normal smile as she picked her sketchbook up from the table, opening it at a sketch of a girl on her Skarmory. Despite himself, he was impressed by its rendering. And the fact that it seemed to have

"… No end-of-the-world themes at all. A first, I'd say…"

She seemed a trifle amused at his observation.

"And the fact that I _was_ that girl in the picture while I was drawing this means nothing at all…?"

He stared askance at her as the meaning sunk in, although how she'd managed to fly at the dizzying speeds necessary for Skarmory to remain airborne while drawing was still a mystery to him. She sighed, closing the book.

"Anyway, I haven't drawn the burning city with its doomed citizens underneath, yet.

"I decided that since I'd trained Skarmory to fly enough, I could visit each of you… Erynn's not here, is she?"

Confused, Ash looked about himself.

"Why would she be here…?"

Michelle frowned.

"She _did_ tell me just yesterday that she'd met with you… and I'll admit that I'm surprised at how little you've changed, too."

… _Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult…?_

Thinking quickly, he avoided her gaze as he came up with a reply.

"… Well, she _did_ meet with me a few days ago… she mightn't be able to Fly, but she _does_ have an Alakazam…"

Michelle made a soft humming noise before nodding, as though satisfied by his response.

"So… what do you—?"

But then something else caught her attention.

"That ball… that's…"

He froze as he realized that she'd noticed Gardevoir's ball. If he could find his way out of this one…

"It's a special ball… I got it for Gardevoir…"

But he realized he'd gotten it wrong, this time. Michelle leant back on the couch as she sighed.

"You're forgetting… I know just about _everything_ about Pokéballs…"

He groaned inwardly as he remembered that her father was a researcher at Immaterion Corporations… and that his daughter was the one who had managed to decipher the properties of the first SP Ball they had come across.

"… It's something the Organization gave me after becoming the Champion," he hazarded again, "it's internally produced… and…"

Michelle closed her eyes a moment.

"I guess you could've come up with a worse excuse…"

He released a sigh of relief at her words, feeling a little less tense now.

"So, what're you doing now as the Champion? Well, at least, for another year…"

He smiled a weary smile as he rose from his seat to get them both drinks.

"Well, not much, really… ­endorsing products, advertising for the League…"

Michelle smiled a little.

"Didn't think you'd ever get into _that_ line…"

Opening the refrigerator door, he removed the jug of Oran juice that had been left to chill. "Yeah…"

He poured a glass and left it to Ditto, who had just finished digesting the meats and the can of soda. It quickly set upon the new drink.

"… Surprising how long we humans can live, isn't it?"

He flinched again, but recovered well, returning to the table with two glasses of juice. "You know, you should be on television. Telling end-of-the-world jokes with a straight face."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're being sarcastic."

Ash closed his eyes as he sat down again. "Well, I _am_ wearing my sarcastic face…"

Michelle stared at him, askance. "_That's_ a sarcastic face?"

"… Wow. You're pretty good at sarcastic faces, yourself."

An awkward pause ensued.

"… I wasn't trying to be sarcastic there."

Ash hurriedly tried to change the topic.

"Anyway… what're _you_ doing besides flying around, then?"

She took a sip of some of the drink before she continued.

"I'm a freelance artist while as I continue my journeys…" she said, turning to Leon as she spoke, "I get to collect money from both, so it's really not too hard a living."

He sighed. While Michelle was a talented artist, she rarely drew anything than that which reflected her outlook on life: while she wasn't as incredibly pessimistic all of the time, she didn't exactly have a very rosy take on the world.

She seemed to have read the look in his eyes as she laughed: flipping through her sketchbook, she stopped at a series of coloured drawings. Ash stared at them, singularly impressed.

"These…"

She smiled a little, again.

"I know better than to mix work and play…"

Ash shuddered at her idea of 'play', but then froze.

_Come now… all of you. There's something I need you to see._

The Guardian's voice. He was being summoned. A flicker of emotion passed over his face as he contemplated his situation. He couldn't leave, and he didn't want to have to be so discourteous to an old friend, but…

And then it came.

"… Hey… would you mind if I used your washroom?"

Dumbly, he nodded and pointed towards it. She nodded sprightly and made her way towards it, Leon in tow behind her. As she closed the door behind her, Ash looked about himself. She'd take a few minutes before she'd be done, at the very least. With a whispered apology in her direction, he rushed into the kitchen, lifting the very satiated Ditto.

With a sigh, he tried to get the goo off his hands as Ditto slid back to the ground. Holding his Pokégear between them, he activated the emergency teleportation system.

He looked back at the room: an untouched glass of Oran soda, a sketchbook on a marble table, and two empty chairs. For a second, he couldn't help but wish that he could've been as normal as he'd tried to appear.

And then there was a flash of white light, a blast of cold wind, and they were gone.

* * *

Michelle emerged a few seconds later with an unreadable expression on her face, Leon still padding along softly beside her. She didn't seem surprised at all by his sudden disappearance. She shut her sketchbook and put it in her bag as she spoke to Leon. 

"… I wouldn't have expected anything less, would you?"

The Electric-type Pokémon didn't respond: it was, after all, a rhetorical question.

"Another intrigue…" she mused. "I've always wondered how long he'd be able to last without having to risk getting his limbs torn to shreds and his body used as a sandbag for the demented criminals of the world…"

She smiled as she swirled the contents of her glass of Oran juice before downing it. With a faint, barely audible hum, she turned again. Leon rose to follow her, but she shook her head.

"… If you don't mind…" she winked.

"I really _did_ need to use the washroom."

* * *

He emerged from the swirl of white light, noticing at once that he was the second ranger to arrive. Tristan had already gotten there ahead of him: the yellow ranger nodded to him as he materialized. 

"… Got any idea why she's called us here, then?" Ash hazarded. Tristan shrugged as he looked about the place, as though expecting to see the other rangers appear about him.

The chamber felt warmer than it had before: it might've been the fact that there were more people now; or else that Tristan's words from before had taken a load of their shoulders. The damaged machinery had been repaired, and they had managed to clean up the chamber. While the shelves were still empty, they were at least comforted in knowing there were four of them now, even if the blue ranger had been missing for a while.

"_He's a loner who'll come only when he feels he's needed…"_ the Guardian had told them, _"have faith that he'll find his way in the end…"_

But now it was something different. It had been three days, and something was up. Whether it was for good or evil, none of them could tell yet.

A bright flash of light indicated another teleportation signature: the two males stepped back as another figure emerged from the light.

"Erynn; you won't believe who came to visit me just a short while ago…" he began, but then he was cut short.

_It looks like you are all here…_

Tristan looked about himself, a tad confused.

"I thought there were four of us…"

… _I've arranged to talk to the blue ranger at another time… I shall speak with you three today._

They nodded uncertainly: while they were curious, there were larger questions at hand.

"So," Erynn asked after a moment, "why exactly did you call us?"

_I recognize that this might be an inconvenient time for some of you, but there's… trouble._

A holographic screen flickered to life between them: a map of Elem like the one they'd seen before. On it, a pinprick of light flashed, seeming to indicate

… _The location of one of the stolen morphers. I've managed to trace it to somewhere along the Iro tunnel: it is possible that the morpher might be under the sea, but it is far more likely that it is within the cave itself._

"We're going there, then?"

… _Yes… but I must caution the few of you to be careful: I can no longer sense one of the morphers to be on this plane at all… in all probability, it is in the hands of our nemesis._

They nodded slowly, unsure of what it meant.

"You mean, they might have an evil ranger as well?" Erynn pressed.

_Possibly… but there may be other consequences of the technology that they might be able to exploit…_

She sighed as she turned towards the Omnibikes which had risen out of the ground behind them. The other two followed.

Ash looked at Tristan a moment as the three of them mounted their bikes, surprised at the lack of any sense of surprise on the boy's features.

"You know how to operate this thing?"

Tristan gave a wry smile as he inserted his morpher into the slot, powering the machine up.

"I've been practicing."

And then they were off.

**T E N T O R F O G**

**F O R G O T T E N**

"_They're going to find one of the other orbs…"_ the figure breathed.

"_Have you managed to find _her_ yet?"_

The figure's eyes seemed to narrow as he received the reply.

"_No matter…"_

He let his fingers play across the holographic console in front of him.

"_I guess I'll have to _improvise_…"_

**T E N T O R F O G**

**F O R G O T T E N**

The three teenagers watched as their bikes disappeared behind them before turning to the cave ahead of them.

"The Iro tunnel…" Erynn breathed. "I never _did_ like travelling through it…"

Their footsteps echoed about the cavernous tunnel as they made their way into it: their Pokégears provided light enough to see about them, but it wasn't much of a help in the thick darkness about them.

"You'd think that they'd put lights about this place, with the number of people who've to pass through this area…"

"I think they _want_ you to pay for the ferry and not come through this place at all…"

"Oh, right…"

Their voices carried a distance as they continued walking forward aimlessly: they knew it was in the cave, but not _where_. The upper portion of Iro Tunnel was infested with Zubat as well as many Aron and Lairon.

_I'll be sending the pattern now…_

The interruption was a welcome surprise. Almost immediately their Pokégear blipped.

_Synchronization patterns for the next morpher have been input into your Pokégear. It should help somewhat with tracing the missing morpher._

They brought up the synchronization screen on their morphers, scanning the surrounding area for a signal.

"Right… it looks like it's this way."

The air around them began to grow more chilly as they continued on their way.

"It doesn't look like this is part of the main route," Erynn observed as she swung her legs over another set of rough rocks.

"… This terrain certainly doesn't make going down much easier," Tristan agreed.

Ash checked his Pokégear, trying not to trip over anything as he walked.

"It looks like the morpher's still a little further down…"

The Iro tunnel was a part of the Great North Road: a subterranean tunnel which traveled beneath the sea: Ash estimated that they were already beneath the lowest point of the Road, and still going down.

"Why couldn't she just have transported the morpher to a… ice cream parlour or something…" he groaned, watching the Zubat which flew above him grimly.

Erynn rolled her eyes; Tristan pushed on grimly.

"Whatever it is, let's just get the morpher and get out of here."

"… _You do that…"_

The rangers looked around in surprise as the malevolent voice echoed about the tunnel. It sounded somewhat distorted, as though someone had split the voice into parts and jumbled it back together.

The soft flapping of wings indicated that most of the Zubat here had fled.

Ash groaned.

"Not here…"

He tried to see through the gloomy darkness before relenting.

"Show yourself!"

Three chilling howls issued, each followed by gouts of flame. The rangers turned in the direction of the light, and with the blaze, the creature revealed itself.

The monster which faced them looked to be a Houndoom, but with a few major differences. The most obvious being the fact that it had three heads.

"_We are the Cerberus, the hounds who will hunt you down… and burn you and rend you and all that."_

The rangers stared at the creature, nonplussed.

"… _But we would be known as Doomdrio."_

And it was only as the skeletal wings unfolded from its body that the three rangers finally acted.

"I guess it's time… Elem Morph!

Call of the Psychic: White Ralts Ranger!"

"Call of the Fire: Red Growlithe Ranger!"

"Call of the Electric: Yellow Elekid Ranger!"

Even before they had finished morphing, the being was swooping towards them: the three rangers only just got out of the way before it loosed a Fire Blast in their direction.

… _Darn it; we can't stop now…!_

"We don't have time to take this guy on!"

Tristan glared apprehensively at the creature as it did a U-Turn and headed straight for them again.

"Both of your types are no good against this guy: I'll take him on while you two look for the morpher…!"

They nodded and turned to leave.

"Yellow Elekid Ranger! Chains of Courage!"

He ran straight at the creature, but it was no longer there.

"White Ralts Ranger! Shield of Empathy!"

The shield materialized just in time as Doomdrio's Pursuit hit it square: Ash fell back at the power of the impact. Erynn winced as the creature turned on her.

"_What makes you think we'd let you go so easily…?"_

Its multiple heads drooling acid, the skeletal figure rushed forward to attack her. She dodged just in time, rolling under the creature as it attempted to rush her.

"Red Growlithe Ranger! Claws of Loyalty!"

She got to her feet just as the creature had turned on her again.

"Yellow Thunderbolt!"

A brilliant flash lit the area as an electric bolt whipped from Tristan's weapon. Distracted, Doomdrio dodged to a side, its skeletal wings, impossibly, helping it to fly.

"Fire, Dark _and_ Flying? That's three types!"

The monster howled before turning towards them again.

"_And we've got three heads. I'd say it was fair enough."_

"Yellow Thunderbolt!"

"Red Ember!"

"White Psybeam!"

The three rangers called their attacks out simultaneously as the creature came under hail from a dazzling array of white, red and yellow. The creature watched disdainfully as the attacks reached it.

"_You really think you can stop us with that…?"_

Its wings pressed flat against its body as it dropped into a steep dive, its heads releasing three attacks at the same time: black, purple and red.

"Darn it," Ash whispered as he narrowly deflected the Shadow Ball, sending it crashing into a wall, "this isn't working!"

Erynn flinched as her Ember attack ignited the Sludge Bomb. Shielding herself with her claws, she let the resulting blast sweep her frame: thanks to her own resistance to fire, she remained relatively unscathed, if weary.

"You're telling me…!"

Tristan winced as the chain he was spinning in an attempt to conduct the heat away began to heat up itself: grunting, he broke off his defence, dodging to a side as the prolonged stream of flame directed at him finally died down.

"… You're not our goal this time…"

The creature howled again, its voices seemingly amused by their efforts.

"_Don't worry, rangers…_

"_You're not ours, either."_

Doomdrio swept past them, its wings rippling in the wind it created in its passing.

"_We just needed you to point us in the right direction…"_

Cursing, the three rangers followed the creature, determined to get to their object before it could.

* * *

"_This is it, then…"_

They heard its voice even as they continued down the next long tunnel: they were just behind it—it couldn't have—

There. The device they had come for.

The tunnel opened into a spacious chamber, which was seemingly devoid of any Pokémon at all. Its walls shone with an incandescent glow, and the only exit was the tunnel they'd just appeared from. The morpher lay on the ground, in seemingly perfect condition despite its surroundings.

And Doomdrio was right next to it.

The monster looked up at them and snarled.

"_Looks like you're too late, rangers…"_

Ash shook his head.

"As long as you can't leave this chamber, you haven't won yet."

It grinned malevolently.

"_We mightn't be able to teleport out of this cave, but if the only thing that's standing between us and our freedom is you… then I don't think we'll have much to be worried about."_

The three rangers tensed in preparation for the attack.

"_But first, our prize…"_

Ash grinned beneath his helmet.

"Now."

As Doomdrio bit down on its prize, a burst of static electricity coursed through its body, temporarily paralyzing it.

"Now! White Psybeam!"

Even as he called the attack, he ran towards the stunned monster, keeping the attack focused on it.

"Right…" Erynn crossed her claws in front of her, feeling the intense heat gathering in them. "Red Ember!"

Nodding, Tristan held his chain ahead of him as electricity arced across his frame."Yellow Thunderbolt!"

Red flames issued from Erynn's claws as she released the energy she had built up within them: the flames scorched Doomdrio's side a second before the blast of electricity that was Tristan's Thunderbolt sent it flying. It released the morpher, unscathed, from between its teeth in the impact, landing with a grunt.

But despite the attacks, the creature managed to stand again: the numerous bruises on its body didn't seem to hinder it a bit.

"… _What a cheap trick…"_ it snarled,_ "no matter. We can still finish you off first…"_

"Darn it, die already!" Erynn shouted, loosing another Ember attack.

But the creature dodged it easily as it took to the air, its unearthly howls echoing in the confines of the cavern. Attacks spewed from its three heads as it came in for another sortie.

Ash winced as a Flamethrower caught him off-guard: despite the protection of his armour, the searing pain he felt was real. Erynn and Tristan were forced back by the rapid stream of Sludge Bombs it had aimed at them.

The creature seemed to smile devilishly as it watched the white ranger stagger to his feet.

"_Time to wipe one of you off the list… Sky Drive Blitz!"_

As it hung in the air, its wings beating slowly, it began to glow a bright white: the rangers tensed as it howled once more. As it did, its body burst into flame.

"_Rave!"_

Folding its wings back, Doomdrio began to dive towards Ash at a speed unprecedented; shadow-images seemed to form about it as it unleashed its ultimate attack.

_Damn it…!_

"White Reflect!"

The words which he spoke were as much a surprise to him as to the creature: there was a brilliant flash of light: and for a moment it seemed as though time had stopped. The being slammed against the barrier with an impact like thunder without sound: as it hung, suspended in mid-air, a look of bewilderment seemed to pass over its three heads.

Seconds which seemed as long as an eternity passed as the power of its attack strained against the strength of the white sphere which had been projected about him: even as Ash pushed his energy into the Shield of Empathy, he knew it wouldn't last much longer. Doomdrio howled as it intensified the strength of its attack,

And then there was another flash of brilliant light as a blast issued from the space between them. Both monster and ranger fell back: the Reflect disengaged, but it had done its job.

"Ash! You're alright?" Erynn asked, running to him.

"… Yeah… not knocked out, this time."

He turned to Tristan, who nodded before either of them said anything.

"Time for the finisher."

Tristan smiled grimly beneath his helmet as he ran forward towards the creature, who even now struggled to get to its feet.

"Looks like your three heads aren't going to be a match for us.

"Chains of Courage!"

The heavy chains glowed as twin hooks appeared at each end. With a flourish, Tristan flung both ends at the creature, channelling his electrical energy into it as he watched them dig deep into the creature's flank.

"Yellow Thunderbolt!"

There was a blinding flash of light as electricity arced through Doomdrio's frame. Three final, chilling howls issued from the creature, and then it was naught but ashes on the ground.

The three rangers looked about themselves as the echoes faded away to nothing. Ash got to his feet with Erynn's help. Despite the shock of the impact, he was already feeling quite a bit better: whether the suit had regenerative powers or he was just lucky was a question he ignored for now.

He sighed.

"Now that that's over…

"How are _we_ to get this morpher to the surface?"

* * *

"… And you just left her there…?" 

Ash shrugged.

"What else could I have done?"

Her exasperated sigh echoed in the narrow tunnel as they continued to make their way to the surface. It was a few minutes before she spoke again.

"… Of all the ways to carry the morpher…"

"It works, doesn't it?"

They were demorphed again, since, as Erynn pointed out, any trainers going through the Iro tunnel weren't going to be used to seeing Poké Rangers. Tristan walked ahead, with Erynn in the middle, and Ash at the back, carrying the morpher atop the mound of dirt he had dug up under it.

"I still can't believe you actually thought of that…" she muttered in a reproving tone.

"We're almost there, anyway," Tristan called from the front. The light, quite literally, at the end of the tunnel was in sight.

"And about time, too… my arms are killing me."

The only time he'd put the morpher down was when he had to climb up a ledge, and even then he hadn't gotten any rest.

"Once we get out, we'll be able to teleport back, anyway."

He nodded as the three of them stepped into the light of day, blinking as their eyes struggled to get accustomed to the light. Despite the ease at which they had obtained their prize, or perhaps because of it, they couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"We've… done it, right?"

As though in response to the question, the Guardian's voice abruptly broke in on them.

… _Not a moment too soon. I'm sensing strong disturbances in the flux of energy emitting from the morphers: it looks like—_

All three trainers whirled around as a loud rumbling issued from the ground behind them. Turning, they gaped in astonishment as an enormous version of Doomdrio appeared before them. Its unnerving howl was amplified as it echoed about the surrounding mountains, prompting the trainers to transform once more.

… _I was afraid of this. Activating the emergency teleportation device of the morpher… now._

As the voice spoke the words, the morpher winked out of existence between them: despite the infinitely smaller size of the morpher, its disappearance seemed to have drawn the immense creature's attention.

"_The rangers from before, I see… I wonder how you like my _new_ transformation…?"_

Two of its heads began to laugh mirthlessly while the third blasted a stream of fire directly at them: Ash barely managed to shield the immense attack, and all three of them were sent flying back by the attack.

"… We couldn't defeat the creature easily before, and I don't think we'll be able to do it now, either!"

They watched as the being unfolded its wings; listened to the roaring of the thirty-foot tall beast as it glared malevolently at them.

"… We've got to take this monster out before it destroys Elem…" Ash looked about himself fervently. "Any suggestions?"

_Incidentally… just the one._

Tristan looked up at the monstrous creature before them as it readied another blast of flame.

"Can it be done fast?"

They scattered as a second Flamethrower scorched the earth they had just been standing on, entirely disintegrating most of its features.

_Just stall the creature for… twenty-three seconds._

They barely had time to marvel about how accurately the Guardian seemed to be able to predict everything before a large ball of darkness hurtles their way, followed closely by two explosive spheres of sludge.

"Ugh!" Erynn clutched her arm as the poison seared it, gritting her teeth as she spun out of the way of a second attack. Tristan staggered forward, doing his best to recover from the Shadow Ball that had almost been a direct hit.

"Darn it…" Ash muttered under his breath. It was a mercy there weren't any innocents nearby, but for the moment…

Sixteen seconds seemed like a very long time.

* * *

Eight seconds. And they were still stalling. 

Tristan grimly countered the creature's Shadow Ball with an attack of his own before dodging out from under its massive paw.

"The thing's either going to fry us or crush us!" Erynn panted as she broke through another Fire Spin. Despite her resistance to fire, her arms were scorched with the intense heat which the monstrous creature was able to produce.

A grunt was Ash's only response as he continued to dodge the attacks: their own had little use here, and even the barriers he now knew to conjure were powerless against a foe so large. Despite its size, it was still remarkably agile.

"It's almost time… the Guardian should be ready with whatever she's got soon…"

He shuddered as a chill wind emanated from its skeletal wings, robbing him of his strength.

… _Activating system XT. Code: Jolteon._

Her voice rang out clear in their minds, but there was an edge behind her usual composure. The rangers looked about themselves even as the huge Doomdrio stopped its onslaught.

White whirlwinds similar to those they used in their teleportation began to whip up around them, only these were far larger than any they'd seen before: white shapes materialized within them, forms as large as Doomdrio.

"Those are…" Tristan breathed.

… _TK link established. Code: Espeon._

As the whirlwinds cleared, the figures became definite: gray, towering robots. Their lean frames were supplemented with light armor, but they were all essentially featureless.

Doomdrio paused at the sight of the three metal constructs. The rangers paused, too, feeling a vague connection between themselves and the machines: irresistibly, they found themselves each pulled towards a separate robot: in a flash of light, they were transported within its cockpit.

Ash winced as he fell into the machine. Two joysticks were placed on either side of the seat he found himself in, and a separate holographic console floated in the air ahead of him.

Tristan stared at the console in front of him, his gaze pausing for a moment on the three holes set in the direct center of the console.

"It's just like the Omnibike…"

The screen in front of Erynn blinked as she watched the mass of numbers and figures which flashed across it. Alongside the figures were six statuses, which meant little to her, but seemed to have everything to do with the machine.

**XT Boost Drives: ACTIVATED**

**Telekinetic Uplink: ACTIVATED**

**Direct-Motion Avatar: -**

**Proteus Interface: -**

**Proto-link Algorithm: OFFLINE**

… _System Proteus acti— ugh…_

The voice suddenly seemed to falter. Across their screens, the numbers and figures seemed to stream past at an accelerated rate.

_Another two minutes before Proteus can be activated. You will have to protect these robots in the meantime._

Ash watched as Doomdrio began to overcome its caution: the creature stalked towards him menacingly. Tentatively, he placed his hands around the joysticks, feeling the hum of the robot as it came to life under his hands.

"And how are we to do that when we can't even control these things…?" he muttered under his breath. He pushed both joysticks forward to test, feeling the engine of the machine hum as the robot sped forward.

Directly at the advancing Doomdrio. He barely had time to register the creature's sudden flight and the sharp claws bearing down on him before his senses registered a sharp jolt to his left: the mech veered to his right as he floundered with the controls, somehow managing to keep himself upright.

A little surer of the joysticks now, he pivoted his mech to face his attacker. To his surprise, it was Erynn that had pushed him aside.

"How did she…"

Erynn's face appeared in a display box at the corner of his screen. She didn't seem too happy.

"Are you out of your mind…?!" she chastised him even as she spun her own robot to face Doomdrio. "Running straight into the enemy…"

He marveled at the relative ease with which she manoeuvred her mech; but as he watched, Tristan, too, seemed to be getting the hang of the controls. They scattered as Doomdrio rushed through with a Shadow Drive, but while the both of them managed to avoid it easily, his slower-moving mech took another jarring hit as he struggled to get out of the way.

He watched the status bar to the left of his display screen, noticing that the left arm and shoulder had taken some damage.

"Darn it, you two… how'd you learn to control these mechs so quickly…?"

Erynn rolled her eyes as Tristan's face appeared beside hers on his screen.

"There're instructions for basic operation you can call up with one of the buttons on your right…"

He brought the manual up on screen and stared at it for a moment or two. Almost immediately he was forced to abandon the reading as Doomdrio attacked him again.

"I think it knows you're weaker…"

His eyes narrowed as he spun his mech to the right, watching as the momentum of Doomdrio's attack sent it flying past him. With a flick of his thumb, he dodged a Shadow Ball, letting the boost drives on the mech's back carried him out of harm's way.

He grinned as he read the next line of instructions on the list.

"… Don't count on it, big guy."

* * *

Despite the bustle of repair-work going on about her, she didn't budge an inch. She stood at the entrance to Rubidium Gym, a bemused expression on her face. The Manectric beside her seemed more than a little weary. 

"She's not here either, eh…?"

**A/N: Woot. I'm finishing it right here. There're not going to be any cool ****manoeuvres**** since the lot of them have barely got the basics down, but at least Ash seems to have gotten the hang of it. The controls system for the proto mechs are based on those in the arcade game VirtuaOn (if any of you've played it…) which was one of my favourite games a long time ago. Since I'm currently a fan of Super Robot Wars, you can expect something different from the typical Zord battles. I hope you enjoy it!**

**And so… the next chapter will continue sometime in the near future. See you then!**


	9. Proteus

**A/N: ****Well! Here I am writing the next chapter of Poké Rangers: Elem. It's kinda a continuation from the last chapter, so I don't think it'll be really long. While I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull the Zord battle scenes off, this'll be a test run, I guess. We'll see how it goes.**

**On a side note, I think I'll have to continue advertising for the forums we now have for all Poké Rangers stuff that we're doing… the link's in my profile, I should think, so here's hoping this shout out will actually do some good right here. Now, I guess it's time to officially begin Chapter 8… so… whateverish. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 - Proteus**

"What's it supposed to do, anyway?!" Ash grunted as he slammed the right joystick forward violently: his mech jerked as it executed a last-minute swerve which narrowly avoided the blast of flame. He winced as the second ball of darkness it had fired slammed into the robot's right arm. "We've got to survive another sixty seconds for something we haven't even seen yet…"

Doomdrio growled, visibly irritated by the new obstacles which presented themselves to it. Despite its frustration, the monster didn't seem to be confident enough to launch any proper assault yet.

Erynn shrugged as she swept past Doomdrio, getting just close enough to divert its attention from Ash. "It's only another minute: we can wait it out. These robots are fast enough, at any rate."

It was a sentence she regretted the instant she spoke it. As she casually turned to dodge the second Sludge Bomb aimed at her, a gasp escaped her lips as she was unexpectedly jolted by a powerful shock which rippled through the machine.

Doomdrio's horns had not managed to pierce through her machine, but the crushing attack which had driven straight into the lower back of the mech was one which had done a substantial amount of damage, nonetheless. Erynn cursed as she slammed the left joystick forward, pulling the right joystick to the left to effect a quick turn away from the creature.

Tristan and Ash held back as she retreated as well, the three of them wary again of the unpredictable monster.

"_We're not playing around,"_ it growled, with just a hint of cruel amusement in its icy tone.

It had barely finished speaking before another salvo of attacks flew at the three robots, as each ranger dodged out of the way, watching the attacks dissipate apprehensively. Their robots might have superior speed, but the creature was far more maneuverable than their cantankerous piloting could manage.

"You know," Tristan grunted as his robot took a glancing blow across its shoulder, "you'd think there'd be weapons on these things…"

_These suits were built for mobility; not for fighting. I decided against most of the weapons because they would merely slow it down._

Ash cursed as he pulled both joysticks back, managing to boost out of the range of Doomdrio's Flamethrower. "But this really isn't working…!"

Doomdrio rushed after his mech like any other dog after a stick. With breathtaking speed, it cleared the distance between Ash and itself: now they were over the ocean. Erynn and Tristan remained a short ways away, unsure of what they _could_ do.

"Wait…" Tristan spoke, suddenly, "you said you decided against _most_ of them… which means we've still got…"

… _The 80mm Shock Revolvers are still available to you… they're…_

Erynn didn't waste a second, locating a small panel to a side. Most of the buttons on it were dark, but a single one was lit. She read its label—8SR—before pressing it.

Ash's mech seemed to be frozen as Doomdrio sped towards it: he had everywhere and nowhere to run. As the creature approached him he released the boost catches on his joystick, pulling them away from each other as he braced for impact. Almost immediately the machine began to plummet downwards, but Doomdrio was directly above him. He could see the dark aura of a Shadow Drive forming about it now: at the last moment, he slammed both thumbs down on the boost controls, feeling the machine shudder for a moment.

And then there was light.

The boost engines flared as the robot began to descend at a speed beyond anything he'd felt before. Doomdrio howled as it recoiled from the burst of brightness which issued from the mech, having looked at it directly. Growling as it shook its head to try and clear its blurred vision, it didn't notice Erynn until it was too late.

"Initiating mode: Shock Revolver!"

She felt the machine move of its own accord as a revolver a few hundred times larger than any one built for humans popped out of a compartment in the robot's leg: in a second it was in the robot's hands. For the first time, Erynn noticed the triggers which had been built into the joystick as they extended out from beneath it.

The screen in front of her turned green as grid lines spread across it: every outlined square was a possible target. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the creature which even now tried to get re-accustomed to the light around it.

She saw the tiny red square that was her mark. Pulling back on the left joystick, she watched as her movement pulled the figure into her sights. And then she squeezed the trigger.

"_Ugh…! Damn you…"_

Ash watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the bullet clipped its left flank, chipping off what appeared to be rotting bone. The monster seemed less injured than frustrated as it turned its gaze on her. Disgusted, Ash looked away, pulling himself out of his descent just a moment before he would have plunged into the sea.

"Seriously… you might pay a bit more attention to what you're doing," Erynn noted with a hint of amusement, even as she eyed the beast which now approached her.

She squeezed off another shot as Doomdrio flew at her, but the bullet was deflected by the aura of its Shadow Drive. Her eyes widened as she attempted to avoid the attack, but there was no longer any time. Tristan missed with his first shot, and managed to hit one of its wings with the second, but the damage seemed as inconsequential as before.

And then it had hit her. Erynn gasped as her mech sustained damage to its front, now. She struggled to maintain control over the machine as the mechanized suit hurtled back. She grimaced when she realized that the integrity of her mechanoid's torso was less than ideal.

Doomdrio was on her in a flash: the creature pressed its advantage, using its phenomenal speed to dodge the bullets Ash and Tristan continued to fire at it while it sped towards the stationary Erynn.

She winced as the creature slammed its paws against the torso of her machine, slamming and pinning her against the side of a rock outcropping which was one of the few times the ceiling of the Iro Tunnel broke the surface of the waters. She felt the armour across her torso fracture: as it gave, loose shale tumbled to the depths of the ocean below her.

At that moment, she felt a shudder rip through the creature's body: two bullets ripped through its flesh in the short time it had remained stationary.

But it shrugged off the damage as easily as it had been nothing. Its eyes glowed as two of its heads turned to face the other two robots; as twin blasts of focused dark energy shot towards them. Erynn watched helplessly as the middle head stared at her menacingly: the realization that there was nothing she could do came to her even as she repeatedly shook the joysticks to no avail.

… _System Proteus, activate._

* * *

For a moment, she froze, unable to comprehend the meaning behind the voice that came to her. And then, as she felt a strange new energy building from within the machine, she realized that it had happened at last.

… _Activation code: Eevee._

The cockpit began to rumble as the mech itself began to glow with a dazzling light. Doomdrio seemed to flinch at the sudden, unexpected change. Seizing the moment, she looked around her: unintelligible figures now spread across the screen in its entirety: the statuses which displayed on the screen seemed to have changed now.

**Proteus Interface: AWAITING ACTIVATION SEQUENCE**

And all of a sudden, she knew what to do.

She pressed her morpher into the slot in front of her.

**Proteus Interface: ACTIVATED**

There was a flash of light as the cockpit seemed to burst into flames: red on orange on white blazed across it, colouring the once-gray metal in brilliant hues. Flames burst into being around the mech, hot enough to cause Doomdrio to retreat from her. It howled as it released a Flamethrower attack, but it fizzled against the heat barrier which had formed about her machine.

And then it was as though the mech had formed a connection with her: which it had. Her mind raced with images and figures which had seemed incomprehensible a moment before, but now were clear as day.

She pulled both joysticks apart from each other, pulling the triggers under each one simultaneously as the machine shot upwards.

"Proto Armour purged!"

The fractured armour about her machine fell away from the body in a blaze of light, leaving the undamaged steel frame intact. The robot glowed with a brilliant intensity as its form seemed to change.

"Power output at one-hundred-and-five; one-hundred-and-ten; one-hundred-and-twenty percent: Proteus interface engage!"

The metal components about her cockpit which seemed to serve no viable purpose suddenly began shifting, their movement fluid like water: as plates interlocked and gears meshed, her cockpit was the one thing which seemed to be remaining static throughout the process.

The pneumatic hisses and groaning of metal quietened as the machine seemed to reach equilibrium: Erynn watched in wonder as the machine assumed the shape of a Growlithe.

"… Second Skin algorithm: Integrate."

She depressed three buttons set into the left side of her console as the machine jettisoned the scrap metal: almost immediately following that, liquid metal spewed from the machine, creating a new set of armour about it.

Armour which finally brought the Growlithe to life.

_Zord Synthesis complete._

The cockpit remained the same, but the machine about her seemed to roar with power: her partners' display screens popped up almost immediately, each of them now in a cockpit which matched their colours: Ash with the white-and-green background of his Ralts Zord, and Tristan within the yellow-and-black Elekid Zord.

All this had taken no more than fifty seconds.

The flames died down on Erynn's new Zord as the psychic barrier around Ash's Zord and the electric field around Tristan's Zord faded. Doomdrio seemed cowed, but only for a moment.

"_Flashy, but it remains to be seen if they can take us down, if at all…"_

All three rangers scattered as Doomdrio fired attacks in their directions: Tristan feinted to the left, enjoying the feel of his new Zord.

"Now, _this_ is what I meant…" He flipped the catch on his joystick and activated the right boost drive, sending his machine spinning towards the creature. The plug-like extensions on Elekid's head were devastating spikes on the Zord's fists: He flipped a switch on the small weapons panel to his side, grinning as he noted the electricity which began to arc across the spikes.

_This'll do._

Pulling back sharply on the right joystick, he held on as the machine lurched, throwing its arm back in preparation for the attack. Instinctively, he held down on the right trigger, watching as the fist at the end of the arm began to spin increasingly rapidly.

"Thunderpunch!"

Doomdrio looked for a moment as though he planned to counter it, but then tried to fly out of the way as Tristan released the trigger, and in turn, the fist which had become a deadly missile.

Tristan dropped back as the fist reattached itself to his Zord's arm: Doomdrio winced as it noticed the scar along its right flank which the fist had scored.

"Not so confident now, are you?"

* * *

Erynn dodged the Sludge Bomb directed at her almost lazily: the Growlithe Zord seemed to move with a life of its own: its speed and reflexes were incredible.

… _Arcon might have something to do with this…_

She felt the power of the engine burst into life as she eased both thrusters forward: without even pausing to look, she pushed one of the buttons on the weapons panel. A jet of spiraling flame issued from the Growlithe's mouth even as it continued to rush forward.

_Fire Spin… wasn't expecting that, but whatever._

Nonchalantly, she activated the boost drives, exulting in the exhilarating speed at which Growlithe approached Doomdrio: the Fire Spin attack had fallen behind the Growlithe Zord's extreme acceleration, and become a whirlwind of fire which engulfed the Zord.

She watched her approach through the veil of flame, ignoring the attacks which tried to penetrate the crux of her attack: her Zord shuddered, but continued charging forward at her adversary, who was too preoccupied with Tristan to pay her as much notice as it should have.

As the Zord came within range, she nodded as a message flashed across the screen:

**Target in range: Activating C****2****M****2**

_Close Combat Manual Module…_

"Let's do this, Arcon."

She pushed both joysticks as far forward as she could, cutting the boost drives off an instant before she would have collided with Doomdrio. She let her machine drift forward as the tornado of flame which had formed about her rushed into the creature: through the howl of flame, she pulled down hard on both triggers: claws sprang from the paws of the Growlithe: claws which sank deep into the monster.

And then she was through: it had happened in an instant. As her Zord sped away from the monster, she watched it out of the corner of her eye: it was battered, but not yet destroyed.

* * *

Ash looked about the machine he found himself in, feeling the psychic energies which his powers afforded swirl in a maelstrom about him as the Zord amplified them. As he watched the Shadow Ball approach him, he instinctively raised a finger to the weapons panel to his side, depressing a single button. Almost immediately, he felt the psychic energies about him seem to siphon into a dense, almost tangible field.

As he pulled back on the joysticks, he felt the air around him ripple with a psychic intensity that he found almost unnerving. In a moment, his fingers depressed the triggers beneath them: the horn atop the Ralts' head glowed with a brilliant intensity, and then the Shadow Ball had dissipated.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Light Screen he had erected fade into inexistence again: the impact had jarred his Zord, but done little to shake it. More confident now, he sped his Zord forward, the Ralts gliding forward like a ghost.

It was almost as though he had developed a second vision: more than just being able to sense feelings now, he could feel intent: it was like an early-warning system of sorts; he watched as Doomdrio was apprehended by his partners, his own Zord circling about like the ethereal being it was made to represent, waiting for the ideal moment to begin its attack.

As Tristan launched a second Thunderpunch, he saw the monster's attention slip for a moment: between the first Thunderpunch and Erynn's rapid salvo, it was barely able to retaliate at all. And now it was left entirely open.

The moment was now.

He pressed a second button on the weapons panel, feeling the familiar psychic pulse run through the machine.

… _Not _just_ a machine…_

His finger hovered for a second over the trigger. Just a second. And then Doomdrio was in his sights.

The dome-shaped mass of hair that covered most of the Zord's head began to glow with a violet aura: only the tips at first, but then it spread to the roots, and then the horn, and then…

A beam of psychic energy blasted from the horn, heading straight for Doomdrio: it had just turned around when the attack hit it: but there was no impact; no burst of sound or clash of powers.

The attack seemed to pass right through Doomdrio, giving it ample time to recover.

The being spread its skeletal wings again, very much dangerous despite the injuries it had sustained. The three faces seemed to grin malevolently at him as the creature soared up even higher above them.

"_You should have known your psychic attacks would hardly be effective against a being of darkness… much less the Cerberus…!"_

But even as the creature approached him, he could feel the psychic energies flowing between Doomdrio and himself: he could feel the drain on his mental energies continuing even as he dodged the monster's initial rush at him: feel the beast's movements synchronize with his own as he dodged the second blow… the third…

And then finally release the trigger.

The words flashed across his screen as the psychic energy he had been storing was finally unleashed upon the creature. Wave after wave of intense energy washed across its frame, wracking the Dark-type monster in pain despite its resistance.

**Overdrive Cooldown: Future Sight**

He leant back in his cockpit as he felt his energy come back to him, watching with no small amount of satisfaction as the creature writhed in agony: the being burst into unearthly flames, its triple howls dying down in a whirlwind of blue fire. The unearthly wails died down in the fierce winds which whipped about the creature, forcing all three rangers away from the being as it fell to pieces, to be swallowed up by the unending sea beneath them.

Silence swept in like a velvet cloak, closing the scene at last.

"Well, _that_ was fast."

* * *

They watched in silence as the three robots stood in the large entrance chamber, their huge masses descending into the ground to be kept. The luminescent blue light shone off the gleaming metal of the mechs, having reverted from their Zord forms the instant the three rangers had emerged from them.

As the ground re-formed itself above the Zords, the three rangers re-entered the cavern they knew of as the control room: almost immediately they noticed their prize lying back in its customary position on the stone shelf.

"We did it," Tristan breathed. "There're only two more we have to recover, then."

Ash heaved a sigh.

"That's what we've been fighting for, then… that small piece of technological wizardry…"

"But… that's not all it is… we were fighting for more than that," Erynn protested.

He smiled a wan smile as he nodded, slowly walking towards the morpher on the wall.

"The power to destroy the world…

"… Or create it…"

He looked into the Pokéball, then turned back to them. The latent powers within their morphers were an object which fascinated and terrified, and that was when it was in good hands.

"We'll need to recover more than two morphers…

"Michelle's going to have a lot to draw soon."

* * *

She closed the sketchbook, closing her eyes as she let the rushing winds ripple her frame. The thrill of flying never ceased to amaze her. It was like standing at the edge of a cliff with your eyes wide open. You felt the danger, but then there was the _freedom_; there was suspense, and a strange, indefinable sense of being… ethereal.

She reflected that it was, perhaps, too much like life.

Her hand tightened around the sketchbook as she stashed it into her satchel. The fact that she only held on to the speeding Skarmory by her legs was one she barely noticed, and the singular scarcity of oxygen was something she'd gotten used to in the time she had been flying.

She wondered about the picture: three giant robots and a devilish monster. The scene was one which would be hard to forget.

It was a scene that seemed to tell of things to come.

A scene that would appear on television screens three hours later.

**T E N T O R F O G  
F O R G O T T E N**

The figure watched the defeat of his latest creation without surprise. As the creature writhed in agony, he reached out with his mind, feeling the dark heart of the creature seem to pulse in his fist. Mercilessly, he tightened his hand around it, watching as the creature burst into flames; watching as it crumbled to pieces.

It had failed him, but it was enough. A test, of sorts. A success, if it hadn't retrieved the morpher. The shadowy appendage that was his hand caressed the smooth metal of the object he held: he felt a new appreciation for its power as the irony of its origin came to him.

"… _Forged by shadow, blessed by light and returned to the darkness…"_

Laughter devoid of mirth came to him, and then a cold, calculating understanding of what had to be done.

The figure's eyes glowed as a holographic map of Elem came into existence before him. Fiztor was somewhere, he knew: searching for that which would become his ultimate weapon: a _vessel_ which held the origin of the SP Ball's powers…

And that _other_… the one other agent which he trusted; at least, as much as he could be expected to trust anyone. He, too, was searching: searching for that which he had lost, and had to recover.

… _But if it _is_ that other…_

The figure's gaze grew cold as he contemplated the few possibilities. The agent's duplicity was a factor he could not discount.

… _Then he would be better off never finding it._

… _But._

He watched the cold metal of the device that lay before him a moment, before tightening his grip on it. It hurt to hold it, but it was an exquisite pain—and one that lessened with every day.

_If he _should_ find the second…_

A hint of excitement seemed to creep into his voice.

… _Then alone this one need not be._

He waved away the holographic map, becoming composed once again.

"_In the meantime…"_ he spoke to no one, the icy tone of his voice betraying no emotion, _"there are some _experiments_ the fog should begin…"_

**A/N: I hope you felt confused/dissatisfied by the ending, because that's how it should be. Things are working themselves into a knot, even if the rangers seem to have gone one step further towards completing their initial goal. There's hardly enough humour in this chapter to fry an egg with, sorry; I don't really know how to go about it at this juncture. I promise I'll try to add some in the next one… really!**

**At any rate, this chapter was shorter than I thought I'd do it. I hope the weapons seemed intelligible to you, and here's hoping you actually enjoyed the thing. Bye!**


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